Beauty therapists gave treatments by torchlight as extensive power-cut sweeps across Dunmow

Being in the pitch-black did not deter resourceful beauty therapists yesterday (December 8), when Dunmow was plunged into darkness in a power cut.

Around 2000 properties both along the High Street and in North Dunmow lost all electricity at around 3.30pm, forcing most businesses to shut up shop and accept the losses – with no tills, no lights, and no card readers.

But employees at Scarlett and Stone-The Beauty Experts, did not want to let that stop them, conducting treatments by mobile torchlight until 6pm - three hours before closing.

They gave two people eyelash extensions and one customer a facial, before they had to begrudgingly admit defeat because their phones had died.

However the owner of the business, Anna Harvey, still estimates losses in the hundreds of pounds.

She said: “It was really frustrating for us because we are normally open until 9pm on a Thursday, and the lights on the other side of the street came back on before ours.

“The customers were really understanding, and we did the absolute best that we could for them.”

Anna thanked her staff for being “so amazing”, and said they all went for a Chinese takeaway when the day was over.

Power was coming back to homes across Dunmow between 4.25pm and 6.25pm when UK Power Networks rerouted supplies, and it is now working to pinpoint the problem (December 9).

It is believed to have been caused by a problem with an underground cable.

The company said: “We understand how difficult it is to be without power and apologise for the inconvenience caused.”