A POWER cut caused a bank's security systems to fail - leaving the branch unlocked when it was closed.

And the woman who discovered the HSBC bank in Padiham was unsecure, with no staff in the building, said it would have been an ideal opportunity for the branch to be raided.

HSBC bosses have drafted engineers on to the site to investigate how the power cut caused the front door to unlock.

Padiham resident Kathleen Pillier, 52, of Fairweather Court, was one of the first people to notice the problem at the Burnley Road bank and contacted the police at around 1pm on Wednesday.

She said: "It was absolutely unbelievable.

"The police told us to stay inside and not allow anybody else in while they contacted the management.

"Another Padihamer was with me at the time and we both thought it was absolutely unbelievable.

"We didn't go behind the counters though because we were too scared.

"We thought it had been robbed and thought they might still be in the building.

"It would have been an ideal opportunity for someone to raid the bank, although that probably shows how trustworthy the people of Padiham are.

"It was like a scene from a film, I still can't believe it."

Padiham sergeant Phil Hutchinson said it was believed the power cut happened at around midday.

He added: "We were alerted to the problem by a member of the public and the town's community beat manager PC Matt Lunney was deployed to the bank.

"Inquiries with the bank have revealed that the problem was due to a power failure which they are addressing.

"Although the door was accessible, the rest of the bank was secure."

Katherine Kawalski, a spokesman for HSBC, said: "The branch suffered a power failure.

"The door had been locked properly, however the failure led to the door becoming unlocked, there was no security risk as it was only the front door that became unlocked.

"Engineers have been on site and are looking into having the power systems up and running as soon as possible."

The branch is only open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.