29 May 2003 00:00 EME SAFETY WARNING TO LOCAL CHILDREN

East Midlands Electricity is sending an important safety message to children and their parents in Northamptonshire about flying kites safely.

This comes after a kite became tangled in an overhead line at Wicken, in the south of the county, on Sunday (MAY 25), affecting over 800 customers for 90 minutes because of the hazard it posed.

A spokesman for EME said: "Fortunately on this occasion no-one was hurt as a result of the kite becoming tangled in power lines but flying a kite near power lines is very dangerous.

"As it was, we had to take the power off for 837 customers for safety reasons. We're not saying don't fly kites, all we want is for people to fly them safely and to look up and look out.

"On this occasion we were able to move quickly and safely but flying a kite near power lines really isn't worth the risk."

With summer almost upon us, the warmer weather and bright evenings mean that more and more youngsters to playing outdoors. However, kite flying can present a very real danger to the public.

EME's message is simple: 'Never fly kites anywhere near electricity overhead lines'.

Kites can easily become tangled in overhead lines, causing a significant danger and risk of injury. High voltage electricity can travel along the dangling string, seriously burning, disabling or even killing whoever comes into contact with it.

Kites can also cause a loss of supply to customers, which could affect homes, traffic, railway control equipment, businesses and, in some cases, vital medical equipment.

A spokesperson for East Midlands Electricity said: "This is a serious matter. To ensure safety when playing with kites follow these simple guidelines.

"Fly your kite in an open area away from power cables. If a kite is blown towards an electricity line you must:

Let go of the string or any attached control wire immediately;
Don't attempt to touch the string to pull the kite free, high voltage electricity can travel along it causing serious harm;
Keep yourself and others well away.
"If your kite becomes tangled ring the number shown on the pole notice for help, EME can safely remove the kite from the line. If you leave it hanging and say nothing, someone else could get hurt or even killed."

For free information and advice call East Midlands Electricity or look on the web site www.eme.co.uk under the safety icon.