A LANDLORD says that his property has been left without power for six weeks due to a dispute with his energy supplier.

Kieran Nuttal, of St Annes, explained that the issue first arose when a piece of floor collapsed, due to a case of dry rot, which then made a power cable unsafe in a property he owns in Haslingden.

As a result, Electricity North West arrived to disconnect the home's power, however Mr Nuttal says that the company now will not reconnect it unless he pays a £750 fee and that as a result a tenant has been left without electricity for six weeks.

Lancashire Telegraph:

The unsafe cable in Mr Nuttal's property

Mr Nuttal said: "I'm not paying for something that wasn't my fault but they've got me, either I pay or I don't but I won't be getting electricity back until I do."

He added: "My tenant Justin, he loves living there but they're giving him no other option.

"It's like they're holding him to ransom."

Mr Nuttal has owned the property on Bury Road, Haslingden for 18 years and currently rents it to a young person who is living on his own.

Being without electricity has been especially difficult for Mr Nuttall's tenant during the increasingly dark and cold winter months.

The situation has reached such a point that he has sought help from Rossendale Borough Council.

However, with the local authority unable to provide alternative housing the homelessness charity Shelter have now had to step in and offer to help Mr Nuttal's tenant.

Mr Nuttall says that he was especially concerned about the price given that he was originally expected to pay £2,000.

He said: "That's amazing that they can suddenly come down from £2,000 to £750, it's a joke!"

Meanwhile the company has insisted that they disconnected the power for safety reasons and that they hope to eventually come to a resolution that will see electricity restored to the property.

A spokesperson for Electricity North West said: “We were called to a property and had to disconnect the electricity supply for safety reasons.

"We are working with the customer to find a suitable solution so that we can restore supplies safely as soon as possible.”