By the light of an oil lamp, Joy Symonds, her mother and grandmother sat huddled together at their Union Street home yesterday morning as Belco staff worked at removing a downed electrical pole from their roof.

Mrs. Symonds said she was woken at about 4 a.m. by her mother, Carolyn Saltus.

?The door to the cellar was slamming in the wind and she asked me to go and close it,? she said. But when she stuck her head out the door, she noticed electrical wires lying across the walkway by the front door.

The electrical pole which had previously been on the sidewalk, was now lying against the side of the house with the transformer smashed up against the roof.

?I was scared I?d get shocked so I woke my husband Angelo and we called Belco,? she said.

She saluted Belco on their response, saying two crews had been working on the problem since 4 a.m. ?Just doing our job,? Belco staff outside side.

They said the pole had snapped in the wind and they needed to replace it, while the transformer appeared to be dented, but they couldn?t tell until they?d removed it.

However, Mrs. Symonds was stuck at home as electrical wires lay across her car which was parked in the driveway.