MORE than 300 dinner guests were left in the dark when the lights went out at the Mayor's Ball.

New Mayor Mel Coombes tried to shine through the power failure by reading his speech by torchlight, but guests had to abandon their desert and coffee and evacuate the Town Hall.

Mr Coombes said: "The fire brigade came in and told us to leave for safety reasons. There was a short circuit in the electric cables which began to smoulder. It was disappointing and the end of a beautiful evening."

But the landlady of the Rose and Crown on St Thomas's Road, Sue Burley, wasn't disappointed - most of the guests piled into her pub.

She said: "It was so unexpected when these people in bow ties and ball gowns came in.

"It was all a bit out of sync with the pub's decor - we're about to undergo massive refurbishment. You couldn't move inside. They all seemed to be laughing it off and had a good time in the end."

A Norweb spokesperson said: "There was a fault on the service cable to the Town Hall. It was an unfortunate occurrence and we regret any inconvenience."

Mel Coombes made light of the situation by saying: "Some mayors go out with a bang, not many come in with one!"

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