BLACKOUTS have caused chaos across central Marlow after a sudden spurt of businesses plugging into the national grid.

Shops, offices and homes along the High Street have been plunged into darkness countless times over the past three months because the electricity system has become overloaded.

Businesses have been forced to close their doors and at one stage shops in the north east of the High Street were suffering blackouts every day.

Fishmongers Phil Bowditch lost £500 of smoked salmon when the power failed halfway through a smoking session.

And Haringtons hairdressers were left with a shop full of customers with half cut, half-coloured hair when the power went down.

Simon Shaw, a director at Haringtons, said: "You can have a shop full of clients, be half way through someone's hair and the power goes.

"It happened last Thursday when the shop was crammed and it was chaos. Having said that everyone does pull together."

Shopkeepers at The Gallery clothes shop have been forced to stay late into the evening guarding the shop as they have been unable to activate the alarm system.

Other businesses affected include the Halifax, NatWest, Bagatelle, Caffe Uno and Mustoo-Brand stationers.

Sean Griffin, owner of the fishmongers, said: "About two weeks ago it happened every day but Friday.

"We haven't been able to smoke fish and with no lights the shop looks like it is shut so we have lost trade."

Caffe Uno has had to send staff home on a number of occasions after their kitchens were hit by regular power cuts.

Toby Slack, manager at the restaurant, said: "We are in a constant state of uncertainty. I'm not particularly impressed. They don't even say sorry."

Azra Khaliq, a manager at Bagatelle toy shop, said: "It got to a stage a couple of weeks back when you just expected it."

A spokesman for Southern Electric said the problem was fairly unusual but claimed the company may have fixed it.

The spokesman added: "We have put in a permanent diversion so the electricity flows round the system in a different way which appears to have worked.

"On the odd occasion there will be a quick spurt of growth which we have to catch up with. If there are any more problems we will investigate the situation further."