Angelo Massone said he did not pay the electricity bill to prove a point

Livingston owner Angelo Massone insists the club is in good hands despite the power being cut off at Almondvale.

He claims to have not paid a £32,000 electricity bill on purpose to highlight his personal stake in the running of the First Division club.

Massone told BBC Scotland that his fund-raising appeal to supporters six weeks ago only generated £149.50.

"It was our decision to show the people what happens if I don't put in my own money," explained Massone.

The Italian led a consortium last summer which took control of the West Lothian outfit. And the businessman appealed for financial help after saying he had ploughed around £2m into the club.

West Lothian Council is still owed £280,000 in outstanding rent for the stadium but Massone said he was "99% sure" he would pay that debt on time.

"Until today, I've been paying with my own money," added the owner.

"People told me from the beginning that it's not correct to pay with private money and the company needs to be self-sufficient.

"So, if Angelo Massone doesn't put in the money, the lights are off; this is the message.

"Unfortunately, if I don't put the money in, Livingston can't survive. This has been the case from the very beginning. Every day, I have put in money to give Livingston the possibility of survival.

"I will definitely put in more money, but the message is 'this is what happens if I don't'.

"We need the help of the community and businessmen in West Lothian. Without this, I can keep putting in my money for another year or two, but Livingston will have no future.

"People who speak badly of me perhaps think today they are winners. But no, they are the losers, because this is what happens without me."

A spokesperson for Scottish Power said: "Unfortunately, after months of trying to settle long outstanding bills, we were left with no option but to disconnect the power supply at Livingston Football Club.

"There is a substantial debt that has not been paid and despite numerous attempts to contact the appropriate people at the club, we received no response.

"Every effort is made to resolve problems before we get to the stage of disconnection, but in this instance we have been left with no other option."

Fans group, The Livingston Trust, said the latest development was an embarrassment for the club.

And their spokesman, Ged Nixon, described Massone's year at the helm as "a catalogue of disasters", before adding: "I don't believe the club can have long to go.

"They have a long list of creditors and now the power supply has been cut off, along with a substantial debt to the council.

"We first voiced our fears about the financial stability of the club at the turn of the year and I'm surprised it's taken this long for matters to appear to be coming to a head."

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