MOST traders battled on when power failed on Wednesday morning last week, hitting businesses throughout Settle.

Nine hundred customers were without electricity supply between 9.21am and 11.04am as repairs were carried out to a 'low lying' overhead line, said a Electricity North West spokesperson.

Businesses throughout the town centre, including Duke Street, Cheapside, Market Place and Ashfield, were hit, the majority opting to remain open despite losing power to operate tills, computers and lighting.

Staff at Settle DIY in Ashfield continued to serve customers, said David Hulse, and the shop was lit up with flash lights.

Like other businesses and shops, Katherine Adams and her colleagues at Castleberg Outdoors in Cheapside were unable to take card payments. "We decided to stay open and in the end it only lasted about two hours," she said.

Ian Mounsey, who runs Three Peak Cycles with his brother, said: "You have to carry on when it's your own business."

And Derek Lord at the pet, garden and farm suppliers Field to Home in Market Place stayed open but believes he lost in the region of £400 in business.

Richard Stanwick was lucky in that the electricity came on just in time for him to fire up his fish fryers at the Shambles Fish Bar. "I was just about ten minutes late opening," he said.

"It had quite an impact in that we had to cram a whole day's work into half a day," said Karen Cross at online electrical supplies, Go Electric in Market Square. "Staff sat at their computers till the electricity came back on because we couldn't process anything."

There was still opportunity to get a beer at The Lion pub in Duke Street so long as it was from the hand pump, said a staff spokesman. And they stoked up the two open fires to take the chill off the air.

Skipton Building Society’s Settle branch was able to open as normal. The team served customers using contingency processes until the power was restored, said a spokesman.

Sue Amphlett, at Cottontail Crafts in Duke Street, said she opted to close particularly because it was not her day in the shop. It was difficult for customers to see and she was concerned about health and safety.