6:00pm Tuesday 3rd July 2012
By James Cox
TWO restaurants which owe an electricity company thousands of pounds have had their power supplies cut off.
Npower has disconnected electricity supplies at Copacabana Bar and Grill, in High Street, Colchester, and Tandoori Villa, in Villa Road, Stanway.
Masum Ahmed, owner of Tandoori Villa, which is still open, says Npower has made an error.
Copacabana has closed for a refurbishment.
Colchester Magistrates’ Court granted warrants to cut power at both restaurants after Npower told the court that Tandoori Villa owes £5,716.58, while Copacabana owes £8,558.
Enforcement officers moved in on Friday.
Mr Ahmed said he switched to a different electricity supplier in November last year, adding: “Before they went to court to shut us down they could have come to me.
“We changed supplier last year and got a second meter but they keep billing us. I paid them off when I switched provider. As a small business, we cannot afford this. I am glad they are taking action. Maybe they will come and speak to me at last.”
The restaurant, which is supplied by Eon on a separate meter, is open for business as usual.
Npower said it has no records of Mr Ahmed’s complaints and will pursue the debt.
A spokesman said: “When we disconnected them they had a higher reading than before, so they were using it.
“Our records show they have not once called to complain. They don’t want to pay the bill. They have been using between six and ten units each day since June 2009. They may be using another meter and are unaffected by ours being disconnected, but they still owe us the money.”
Copacabana Bar and Grill has been closed since Friday. A sign in the window said it is closed for refurbishment. It is said to owe Npower the money from when it traded under the name Indulgence. The owners were unavailable for comment.
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