Anger in Lorne as lights go out again

Eateries hire extra staff, but unable to cook

LORNE businesses are fed up after another power blackout left them high and dry over a busy trading weekend.

Lorne Pier Seafood Restaurant owner Sam Gazis said his business lost thousands of dollars on Saturday night after the power went out and they were unable to cater for the cyclists who had converged on the town after the annual Amy’s Gran Fondo ride.

Mr Gazis said the blackouts were affecting a lot of businesses in the area and for it to happen on such a busy weekend was really disappointing.

“I lost so much trade that night and all my customers. A lot of locals would have lost money because the bike race was on over the weekend and there were lots of people in town,” he said.

“It’s not the first time either, I’ve been complaining over the last five or six years but there’s nothing we can do.

“I lost at least $7000 and we had brought in staff from Melbourne and Geelong because we thought it was going to be a big weekend,” he said.

“I have to pay them. It doesn’t matter if I didn’t operate.”

Facebook users vented their frustration over the blackouts with one user writing: “Seriously Lorne community should look at a class action against Powercor. This is a too regular event.”

Others praised restaurants for working so well under the circumstances.

“Went to the Pier Restaurant and had a great night — no power but they did a great job, just sad there were so few there dining,” another user wrote.

A Powercor spokeswoman said there had been a total of five blackouts in the area this year.

“Power outages can be caused by a number of things including vegetation or animals such as possums, vehicles striking power poles, lightning strikes etc,” she said.

“Our services are regulated by electricity codes, guidelines, government Acts and regulations.”

She said business owners who had lost revenue because of a blackout could lodge a customer claim with a form that was available on Powercor’s website.