British Energy has announced that its profits fell over the first financial quarter of this year - with outages at its Hinkley Point and Hunterston stations to blame for the lower revenues.

Profits over the quarter stood at £91 million - down from £146 million the company made over the three-month period to July 31st a year earlier. Unplanned losses from outages at its nuclear power plants stood at close to 20 per cent, up from 13 per cent over the same period in 2006.

Bill Coley, chief executive of British Energy, said that the company was looking to up service at the Hinkley Point and Hunterston stations - which, although now online, are both running below full capacity.

"We continue to work hard to deliver reliable output from Hinkley point B and Hunterston B, while seeking to maintain the performance seen across the fleet for the rest of the year," said Bill Coley, chief executive of British Energy