Electricity row could see firms quit town
Tuesday 13th October 2009, 11:05AM BST.
Businesses in a north Shropshire town are poised to move away from the area unless urgent action is taken to address what they say is a limited electricity supply to their premises, it was claimed today.
Firms based on Waymills Industrial Estate, in Whitchurch, say their expansion plans are being hampered because the electricity substation serving them cannot provide enough power for them to grow.
Tim Stokes, managing director of Tension Control Bolts, which makes bolts for bonding big metal structures, said he feared Whitchurch would be “left behind” unless action was taken.
He said: “To put things into perspective, unless a magic wand is waved within a couple of months, we will be moving out of Whitchurch probably into Wales.”
Ray Grocott, chairman of chilled distribution firm Grocontinental, said: “We haven’t got enough electricity and that’s a big problem.”
North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson said: “It is ludicrous in the current economic climate that companies which want to expand their businesses and secure jobs in Whitchurch are being prevented from doing so by the inaction of the current electricity supplier.”
A Scottish Power spokesman said: “Consideration is being given to a co-ordinated request for electrical supplies in the area that would facilitate the expansion of the site.”
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