Sark government to buy island electricity company

The government has voted to purchase Sark Electricity

Sark's government has voted to begin the process of compulsory purchasing the island's electricity company.

The island's electricity regulator wrote to residents to say the owner of Sark Electricity had said the company was to cease trading "soon".

Alan Witney-Price, who runs Sark Electricity, said the company had been "losing money every month".

"There's only so many times I'm willing to put my hands in my pockets", he said.

Chief Pleas also agreed to start another process of negotiation to try to buy the company, through agreement with the current owner.

Chair of the policy and finance committee, Conseiller John Guille, said there was a "sense of regret" it had come to this situation.

However, he added "they may now be at the beginning of the end".

Mr Witney-Price said the company was being put in this situation because of the island's electricity price regulator.

Three years ago Sark Electricity's former owner David Gordon-Brown was in a similar situation and threatened to turn the power off.

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