Shopkeepers in Frinton are furious after a power cut cost them thousands of pounds of lost trade.
Many of the shops in Frinton's Connaught Avenue had to close for the second Saturday running.
On New Year's Eve, dozens of disappointed revellers were also plunged into darkness because of the fault.
The town's only pub, The Lock and Barrel, was forced to close at 9.30pm due to the power failure.
The problems started about two weeks ago when businesses - including two of the town's largest stores Boots and Spar - were forced to close.
Rosie deKoff, chairman of the town's chamber of commerce, which represents the traders, said: "This is not a joke. Saturday is our busiest day."
Marjorie McFarlane, EDF Energy Networks spokeswoman, said the latest incident was a separate fault on the low-voltage underground network on which they had been working and could not have been predicted.
She said the repairs had now been carried out
Published Tuesday January 13, 2004
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