POWER cuts in Bidford are to come to an end as work to remedy the problem gets under way.

Power cuts and electrical surges have been an on-going problem in the village for many years with many residents being left in the dark.

Bidford County councillor Peter Barnes attended a meeting three years ago with representatives from the electricity board, calling for the situation to be improved.

He wanted the power company to be able to tell residents why there was a constant power failure in the village and when it was likely to come back on.

Cllr Barnes said: "The situation related to the electricity service has been very poor for Bidford with all the electrical surges. With the help of the council and talks with members from Central Networks electrical work is taking place at the moment."

Central Networks has started on a £410k investment project to improve the electricity supply in the village.

Press officer for Central Networks Emily Highmore said: "We are installing a 7.2km cable that will provide an underground supply to the town, significantly reducing the number of power cuts experienced by customers and providing greater protection against storm damage. We expect the new supply to be connected early next year and apologise for any inconvenience caused during the improvement works."

The news has come has a relief to residents from the village as they can see light at the end of a long tunnel.

County councillor for Bidford and Salford Prior, Daren Pemberton, said: "The problem has been on-going ever since we moved here in 1990. It's been a constant problem with three or four power cuts throughout the year. It's a major problem especially in winter. We are really pleased that work is finally taking place to fix this problem."

Nearly half the installation work has been completed and work will continue along the B439 from Salford Priors into Bidford this month with work scheduled for completion in November.