RESIDENTS, workers and shoppers in the TD1 and TD6 postcode areas of the Scottish Borders were affected by a number of short power outages last night (Monday, October 11).

The first occurred just after 5pm and electrical equipment switched off momentarily before requiring to be reset.

Another outage took place around 30 minutes later which lasted a few seconds.

This resulted in supermarket and shop tills being unable to accept card payments and many customers were forced to abandon their shopping.

Power companies were notified and SP Energy Networks tweeted: “We are aware of a power cut in TD1 and TD6. Our engineers are working to restore supplies. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

This was followed a short time later with a second tweet which read: "Supplies have been restored to customers affected by #POWERCUT #TD1 & #TD6 #Galashiels & #Melrose. Thank you for your patience today.”

Scottish Power also responded to power cuts in the TD1, TD2 and TD4 areas on Tuesday, October 5.

The power company issued the following advice to customers: “If your power goes off unexpectedly, check to see if your neighbours still have electricity. If their power is also off, please contact us. Don't assume that we will know that your power has gone off, please let us know.

“If your neighbours still have power but your home doesn't, it's likely there is a problem with the fuses or trip switches in your home.”

They also suggest that that following items within easy reach when preparing for a power outage:

“A torch with charged batteries or a wind-up dynamo torch. You can also buy battery-powered lights that plug into a power socket and come on automatically during a power cut.

“Candles - these are useful but be careful where you put them and keep them out of the reach of children.

“At least one phone that doesn't run off of the mains supply; i.e. an analogue telephone or mobile.

“A fully charged power bank, so you may be able to receive updates on the incident via your mobile phone.

“A battery-powered radio and fresh batteries, as you may be able to receive updates on the incident.

“A warm blanket.

“Portable heaters - they act as a good alternative to heating systems which often don’t work during a power cut. However, take care where you put them and never leave children alone with them.

“Many service stations can't pump fuel during a power failure so it’s a good idea to keep your vehicle's fuel tank at least half-full. Also, be sure you know how to use the manual option on electric garage doors and gates.”