An electricity company is hoping to avoid paying compensation to residents who have spent a fourth night in the cold and dark, it emerged today.
Power firm 24seven claims that as the storm last Sunday was an "Act of God" it should not have to pay out.
Some 5,700 households are still using torches and extra blankets - the same number as yesterday.
A spokeswoman for 24seven said: "We appealed to Ofgem to repeal the Electricity Guaranteed Standards, which normally govern us so that if a residential customer is without continuous electricity for 18 hours they can claim £50 compensation and a business customer can claim £100.
"We have completed the vast majority of repairs of high voltage faults but the low voltage faults are coming through the system, which tend to effect rural communities and single premises. We hope to have dealt with all the faults by the weekend."
Published Thursday October 31, 2002
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