The lights went out on Burnside last week.
A massive fault left the area without any electrical power for most of Friday, causing nearly all the shops in the area to close.
It also left road crossings and traffic lights completely out of action for the day.
However, a small number of determined businesses were able to keep going – by torchlight.
Mandy Morrison, who works in Burnside Pharmacy on Stonelaw Road, told the Reformer: “It was a nightmare.
“It must have gone out at five to nine in the morning and it was still out when we finished at six.
“People still need their medicine and prescriptions no matter what though, so we had to stay open.
“We used torches and the lights from our phones to keep everything going.
“It was eerie though, especially when we finished, because the whole area had come to a standstill. We still had customers coming in throughout
the day, but it was a strange experience.
“We were just lucky that it was the summer it happened in, and not the winter, because at least it was bright enough outside.”
Several locals took to social media to comment on the disruption, while businesses such as florists Stems posted to ask customers to message on Facebook if they needed anything.
The pharmacy on Duke’s Road also remained open, as did a handful of other businesses.
Scottish Power blamed the power outage on a piece of faulty equipment.
A spokesperson said: “We became award of this fault just before 9am on Friday.
“We had a fault from the local substation, connected to a transformer on Greystone Avenue – it was essentially a piece of faulty equipment.
“Repairs took longer than expected due to an underground cable fault.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this incident.”
