A CHIP shop owner who received abuse from hungry customers after a power cut has spoken out about the "heart-wrenching" moment.

Emily Draper, owner of Russell's Fish & Chips in Broadway, said customers were screaming, slamming doors, and one banged his fists on the counter after a power cut led to a backlog in trade.

On Saturday, the county was hit by heavy thunderstorms, which caused the business to have a power cut which turned off its cooking equipment.  

It led many customers to wait for orders and the business to turn new customers away.

She said that after power was restored, it took a while before the fryers were heated to a suitable temperature before cooking the food, which added further to the customer's wait times.

She said through her six years of running the business, she had never been close to tears until recently.

Ms Draper said: "I knew I was doing my best, but at the time when people are treating you like that it is heart-wrenching.

"Something I thought at the time was that I did not want to do this again - I don't want this and my staff don't. 

"I am a human being just like the person across the counter."

Everyone who had to wait for their food was given a full refund, Ms Draper said, and the majority of customers had been understanding towards the restaurant situation. 

However, others swore at her and her staff, calling them useless, and one customer she had to turn away to avoid a backlog in waiting times "slammed" the shop's door so hard the "windows shook".

"One gentleman, in particular, slammed his hands on the bar area and shouted how unacceptable it was. 

"We had to shut down and offered people who had ordered food a refund."

Since the power cut, Ms Draper said the business had some bad Tripadvisor reviews and a few comments on Facebook but it was still business as usual on the Sunday.