The switching on of a town's Christmas lights has plunged some businesses into darkness - and led to bumper candle sales.

A group of businesses in Witney's High Street is having to resort to the old-fashioned light source because of frequent power cuts since the weekend.

It coincided with the switching on of the town's Christmas lights last Friday evening by Witney MP David Cameron.

But the company that installed them said it is not responsible, and Southern Electricity said it can give no explanation, though it is investigating.

This year's display is bigger, costing £15,000 out of town council funds, with strings of coloured lights illuminating Market Square, High Street and part of Corn Street.

The businesses having power problems are in the lower part of High Street. Bill Richey, of Bill Posters picture framing shop, said they had intermittent problems for the past 15 years.

"It always seems to happen when they turn on the Christmas lights. This year it is just the same.

"We have had to get out the candles every day.

"On Saturday the power went off for a couple of hours and on Monday it was about an hour. That seems to be the pattern.

"It's infuriating when you cannot get an answer. I have phoned Southern Electric and they seem to be puzzled by it all. You wonder what's going on when you're in semi-darkness and you look across the road and the Christmas lights are blaring away."

Denshams butchers has also experienced black-outs. A spokesman said loss of power to the fridges "could be serious".

At the offices of Springfield Property staff have also had to use candles to carry on working. On Monday afternoon the lights went out for two hours and on Tuesday they had two blackouts.

Manager David Dixon said: "I've heard it could be something to do with an underground cable and people are talking about the Christmas lights."

At the Curry Paradise restaurant they have had power cuts over four days since the lights went on.

On one occasion they were cooking for a group party when the electricity failed. "It was really horrible and is causing many problems," said a spokesman.

Southern Electric spokesman Sharon Miller-McKenzie said yesterday: "There is no doubt about it that Christmas lights can put extra pressure on the network. But we've received complaints and checked the network in Witney. It is robust.

"We are monitoring the situation and doing checks to see if there is enough capacity in the network to cope with all these lights."

Sharon Groth, Witney town clerk, said they have checked with Lamps and Tubes Illuminations Ltd, of Chesham, contracted to install the Christmas lights.