Blackout kills unborn birds

Other residents of the road have criticised their electricity supplier for not fixing the problem sooner, saying they had to wash, eat, and sleep in the dark.

But EDF energy said they have no record of a blackout.

David, 70, who has a large collection of animals including guinea pigs, fish, dogs, and a parrot said: "The eggs had two days left to grow and were in the incubator for 19 days. I have had to order some new ones. I also lost quite a lot of food from my freezer."

Eighty-one-year old Iris Coyne also lost goods from her freezer, which she believes cost her £200.

She said: "At my age I like to keep my fridge full, and whenever I eat something I will go out to the shops and replace it. It is a very big freezer and I lost a lot of stuff like meat, chicken, and ice cream. I had to take two large bin bags of gone-off food to the dump after it happened."

Iris and David said her TV, radio, lighting, and telephone didn't work, meaning they found it difficult to ring their gas companies and complain.

Another neighbour Ellwood Read, 47, was scared his 24 fish, including pregnant goldfish and ghost carp, would die as his water pump doesn't work without electricity.

The plumping and heating engineer said: "I was worried the fish might die because of water pollution, as the pump cleans the water, but I managed to get my generator going.
"It was hard because I couldn't wash so ended up smelling a bit.

"The electricity company said we can claim £50 in compensation, but they send you round the mulberry bush by giving you about six phone numbers."

A spokewoman from EDF energy said the company had no record of a blackout.