NORTHERN Electric in Britain fought for its independence by appealing against the extension of the timetable in its bitter takeover battle with CE Electric.

The City's Takeover Panel decided late on Friday night to extend the offer period until 1 p.m. today.

By the original deadline of 1 p.m. on Friday, US owned CE Electric had narrowly failed with its £782 million offer for the regional electricity company with 49.77 per cent of the shares.