Blackout over for most households

ScottishPower denies that a staff dispute has caused delays

The majority of people who were affected by power cuts in the south of Scotland during Christmas week have been reconnected.

At the peak of the problem, caused by high winds, some 8,000 households were without power in Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

ScottishPower said the majority of people had been reconnected the same day the problems arose.

He also denied allegations that some customers had to wait longer for reconnection because of an industrial dispute with staff.

There has been no adverse affects because of the industrial action, it is very much business as usual

ScottishPower spokesman

On Monday a man, claiming to be an employee of ScottishPower contacted BBC News Online Scotland to say that delays were down to the dispute.

He said: "This action has had a major impact on the time it has taken to restore supplies but ScottishPower have been playing this down.

"If you compare restoration times now to what they normally are you would see this.

"The company has even asked staff to come from the MANWEB area but they refused."

A spokesman for the company denied that an industrial dispute, involving an overtime ban, had slowed down efforts to restore power.

Some delays

He said that a task force of 250 workers, made up of outside contractors not involved in the dispute, was sent out to solve the problem.

He also said that the cost of this would not be passed on to customers.

The spokesman added: "The majority of people were back the same day, unfortunately some did have to wait overnight.

Power has been restored to most homes

"However, that was largely because the householders affected were in more rural and isolated areas.

"There has been no adverse affects because of the industrial action, it is very much business as usual.

"Any system in the world would have been tested because of the very high winds last week. We coped very well."

The industrial dispute at ScottishPower is about the transfer of 340 staff to a new venture which is resulting from further deregulation of the industry and introduction of more competition.