Many thanks for drawing attention to the distress of the family with a disabled daughter hit by repeated power cuts in Selsdon.

May I make it known to your readers that complaints and views on the need for compensation for domestic and business power cuts must be made to the industry watchdog Ofgem by September 7.

Following calls from consumers the regulator is now planning to extend compensation to all those who experience multiple interruptions', such as those in the past three months in Selsdon and, perhaps, other parts of Croydon.

At the moment compensation is only paid if power fails for 18 hours.

The new rules will protect the worst served' consumers and specify the maximum number of power interruptions they should experience in a year.

Ofgem's proposals range from five incidents of three minutes to three interruptions of three or more hours.

Seeboard's series of power failures in Selsdon, which have caused aggravation and distress, have lasted from eight hours on two occasions to repeated interruptions of several minutes to three hours.

These have disrupted family life, meals, school departures, lights, cookers, washing machines, central heating and hot water, radio, television and VCRs, telephones and answering machines.

Worse still these cuts have hit on-line computers, freezers, burglar alarms and security lights when residents were on holiday.

Families in all-electric homes have gone without hot meals, even on Sundays, and have spent hours resetting complex timers after repeated failures.

Seeboard has turned down claims for any form of compensation for those

affected in Selsdon, but under the

proposed new rules it would have to pay up.

These proposals have been published as initial thoughts' in a consultative document by Ofgem. But the trouble is the regulator is asking, not telling, the electricity industry what it should do to improve its services to consumers.

It does, however, suggest penalties for failing companies.

What it doesn't do is take account of apparent power-up damage to electrical installations and appliances, ranging from a resident's double oven to my telephone answering machine. (This put out my answer and bleeped, but didn't record messages, unknown to callers and myself).

As electricity suppliers are expected to challenge the proposals, Ofgem is clearly seeking a clear, if not supportive, response from consumers and interested parties'.

This is our chance to speak updon't miss it.

Ofgem's address is 9 Millbank, London, SW1 P 3GE.

Don Penny

Woodland Gardens

Selsdon