A WOMAN who is claiming compensation after being left without electricity for almost a week after the October storms, has expressed her relief on hearing Aquila's decision to sell Midlands Electricity plc.

Shirleen Rogers and her husband Peter, were one of five households in the village of Himbleton, near Droitwich, left powerless for six days when high winds caused damage to a transformer.

Electricity supplier Aquila, which normally compensates customers left without power for more than 18 hours, refused to pay them because it said it did not pay out in "exceptional circumstances, " such as the storms.

Passed on dispute

The couple have now passed their dispute to energy regulator Ofgem.

Aquila, Inc., whose headquarters are based in Whittington, Worcester, currently owns Midlands Electricity plc and other businesses.

The Kansas company has signed an agreement to sell the owner of Midlands Electricity plc, Aquila Sterling Ltd, to a subsidiary of Scottish and Southern Energy plc (SSE).

The Department of Trade and Industry commended SSE as a benchmark company for its preparation for, and response to the severe storm in the South of England last October.

Scotland-based

"I'm so glad the new owners are based in Scotland and not America," said Mrs Rogers, a 50-year-old nurse.

"When I lost my power I had a freezer full of food, I had to eat takeaways, use candles, and I had to rely on my friends to wash my clothes."

A spokesman for SSE said that after the October storms last year compensation was paid out to a number of victims in central southern England after individual assessments.

"We would like to get the best out of Midlands Electricity and SSE and if that means looking at outstanding issues of the October storms we will do that. We will talk through any complaints that the customers have."