ELECTRICITY cables in Machynlleth were downed during a blaze which cut power to parts of the town for several hours on a freezing Friday.

On one of the coldest days of the year, Friday, March 2, businesses and residents were plunged into darkness as firefighters tackled a blaze at the Lloyds Coaches Garage in the town.

The fire damaged a portable cabin and destroyed old tyres that were stored there.

Steve Day, who runs the nearby Skinners Arms, said: “The power went off for about an hour-and-a-half. We do have emergency lighting but all the tills are electric so we had to write everything down and then re-boot the tills when the electricity came back on. It was a bit of a pain.”

Machynlleth County Councillor, Michael Williams, praised the Firefighters and Scottish Power for their prompt action.

“It could have been so much worse, as you have a petrol station nearby, it was a bitterly cold day and residents in this area were without electricity for a couple of hours. Some residents on Heol y Doll were without power until around 10pm.”

A spokesman for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Crews from Machynlleth were called to a fire at a property in Heol y Doll, Machynlleth. The fire involved tyres and was extinguished by firefighters using two main jets and small gear.”

The Health and Safety Executive have been informed of the incident. Lloyds Coaches were contacted by The County Times but had no comment to make.