Mix-up over electricity bill costs Cannock pub dearly after power is cut
A pub lost £1,300 in takings after its power was cut off by mistake, its manager has claimed.
Anne Higgins, manager of the Jolly Collier in Chadsmoor, Cannock, said the pub was forced to close on one of the busiest nights of the week because Yu Energy had cut off the power supply.
Mrs Higgins, who took over at the pub just before Christmas, said the electricity was cut off without notice because of a debt run up by a previous occupant not connected with the current owner of the pub.
She said she and her daughter, who lives with her two children at a flat above the pub in Huntington Terrace Road, were now considering legal action against the company.
Mrs Higgins, who is 55, said the first she knew about the matter was when she received a telephone call telling her that somebody acting on behalf of the energy supplier had entered the pub to cut off the electricity.
"I knew nothing about this," she said. "We were left 26-and-a-half hours without electricity, it cost us £1,300 in lost takings, plus all the food in the freezer which has been ruined.
"We had a football match on, and it would have been very busy had we been able to open.
"It also put us in breach of our licence, because it is a condition that the CCTV has to be on 24 hours a day, and it left us without any security overnight."
She added that her daughter Nicola Sarginson, 30, had also been forced to find alternative accommodation for her bearded dragon lizard and pet snake because she was unable to power the heated tank.
Cara May Cole of Yu Energy said she was saddened to hear Mrs Higgins' comments regarding the pub’s disconnection.
"We sympathise with her frustrations surrounding this issue," she said.
"Unfortunately, this has stemmed from the previous tenant not paying their outstanding balance before moving property.
"Our team has been working with closely with Mrs Higgins and the new landlord to rectify the problems that have been caused by the former tenant and amend information following the change of tenancy.
"We have now actioned her reconnection as a matter of urgency."
