08 July 2008 09:58 Central Networks joins cast at Fish‘O’Mania final
Don't get our lines crossed. That's the message Central Networks is taking to thousands of anglers at the final of this year's national "Fish‘O'Mania" event in Staffordshire.
Amateur and championship fishermen, as well as celebrity anglers, will be among the thousands of people visiting the national finals which are being held at Cudmore Fishery near Stoke on 19th July.
Central Networks, the electricity distribution company for central England, is taking its safety messages out to anglers young and old, warning if you don't ‘Look Out and Look Up' when fishing near overhead power lines you might end up catching more than you bargained for.
The warning comes as anglers again take to the region's riverbanks with modern fishing poles long enough to reach overhead power lines that can carry a potentially fatal voltage of up to 132,000 volts.
Anita Davis, Public Safety Manager at Central Networks, said: "It's vital that fishermen are aware of the potential dangers posed by overhead power lines and an event such as Fish‘O'Mania gives us an ideal opportunity to reach anglers young and old, new and experienced, to remind them of potential dangers.
"We'll be at the event with information and stickers for anglers of all ages."
Carbon fibre rods and fishing poles are good conductors of electricity and as high voltage electricity can jump gaps, a rod doesn't have to come into direct contact with a line for anglers to be in danger.
To avoid accidental contact with overhead lines anglers should always:
- Check for overhead lines when parking and unloading their car, and when walking from their car to the water to be fished;
- Carry rods and poles parallel to the ground;
- Select a fishing position that has an adequate safety distance to the overhead line - at least 30metres measured horizontally along the ground; and
- Fish from defined pegs on managed waters as well as looking out for, and complying with, any overhead line warning and angling prohibition signs.
"‘Look Out and Look Up' is a simple message, but if anglers listen to it when they're out on local waterways, it could prevent unnecessary injury and help save lives," added Anita
Ends
Notes to editors:
- Central Networks brings power to 4.9 million customers across central England through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables and via almost 97,000 substations;
- Central Networks covers an area from the Peak District in the north to parts of Bristol in the south, and from the Welsh Borders to the Lincolnshire Coast.
For more information contact:
Andrew Barrow on 02476 183 677
A selection of Central Networks images are available free of charge to the media by registering at www.newscast.co.uk and looking under Distribution