When the lights went out on August 6, 600 homes in the town centre area were affected and 200 houses were without power for more than 18 hours – the time period which triggered £50 payouts for each of them.

The power cut came after thieves broke into a sub-station to steal valuable copper conductors.

United Utilities spokeswoman Helen Wilson said: "The reason power supplies were interrupted was because of the extensive damage caused by thieves at our substation.

"Our engineers are as frustrated as local residents about the needless inconvenience this kind of mindless vandalism causes.

"As well as the £10,000 we have paid to residents, it has cost several thousand more for us to replace the stolen and damaged equipment.

"The thieves are lucky if they escaped with a few tens of pounds worth of scrap metal and their lives.

"We would appeal to anyone who sees a substation being tampered with to alert the police."

However, one resident, Dave Kindlen, is unhappy over the payments and is complaining that no-one on Carr Road where he lives has received payments.

He threatened to complain to the Energy Supply Ombudsman if United Utilities did not change its mind.

He said: "They have made a crafty move by connecting you up to a generator for 309 seconds or a minute and then connecting Milton Street up in the same way.

"Their answer is that they have supplied electricity."

But the company was unmoved and replied: "Carr Road residents were among those reconnected by generator before 18 hours had elapsed. We apply the Ofgem standards and these take effect after people have been without power for 18 hours.

"The 200 residents, who were without power for around 19 hours, live on parts of Milton Street, Poulton Road, Elm Street, North Albion Street, Styan Street, Poulton Grove, Poulton Street and Blakiston Street.

"Although all power was restored by around 9.30pm the following day, our engineers continued to work through the night and did not finish on site until the early hours."