RESIDENTS in Middlewich were left powerless when their homes were plunged into darkness for almost a week following problems with the electricity supply.

Householders in Chester Road and Goodwood Rise have been blighted by fluctuating power levels since last Tuesday night, with some homes left without power for more than 12 hours at a time.

George Newton, who lives on Chester Road, said: "The problem appeared to be resolved but further power losses occurred on Thursday, Sunday and Monday.

"Some residents were left without power for periods of up to 15 hours at a time."

And the problem appeared to get worse on Sunday night after smoke was seen belching out from underneath a pavement outside a house on Chester Road.

George added: "At one point on Sunday evening after workers had finished, smoke was seen to be coming from underground cables in the excavation by a local resident and fearing an explosion of nearby gas pipes an emergency call was made, resulting in the electricity workers returning in the early hours."

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said the area seems to be beset by recurring electrical failures, adding: "The utility workers do their best to restore power quickly but the frequent power failures appear to indicate that the town's electrical circuits can't cope with the huge increase in demand."

A spokeswoman for ScottishPower confirmed the company and gas utility firm Transco was called out on Sunday night and said the smoke was caused by a fault to an underground electrical cable.

She said: "We were contacted at 9pm on Sunday and work on an underground cable fault was completed at about 12.15am. A total of 33 houses were affected by that particular incident."

She added that ScottishPower is currently investigating the continuing problems in Chester Road and Goodwood Rise and apologised to customers who had suffered any inconvenience.