Yorkshire Dales guesthouse owner says Storm Arwen power cuts have 'taken his livelihood away'

Bob Marchant, 64, told the PA news agency he had to cancel all scheduled guests after he lost electricity at The Old Station in Bell Busk, near Malham, on Friday evening.

“I’ve had to cancel all the business, it’s cost us £1,500 in revenue,” he said.

“I’ve been frustrated and I’m made all the poorer because it’s taken a week and a half, and my livelihood away.”

Mr Marchant’s power was finally switched back on at around 1pm on Thursday.

He added: “Now we don’t have anything to feed our guests with - I’ve got to now go and restock all of the (food), everything that we’ve got rotten in our fridge and freezer, so not only have I lost the revenue, I’ve lost the ability to feed them (guests).”

Around 19,500 homes, mainly in Scotland, are still without power due to the damage caused by Storm Arwen, Downing Street has said.

Mr Marchant and his wife Sheila have run the guesthouse in Malhamdale since 2009. It was once Bell Busk Station on the Leeds to Morecambe line and served the Malham area before it closed in 1959.