11 November 2003 00:00 East Midlands Electricity issues urgent safety warning to keep away from substations

Following attacks on eight of its substations in just four hours, East Midlands Electricity (EME) has warned people of the dangers of entering the buildings.

The vandal attacks happened between 8am and midnight on Sunday, November 9 in Coventry. A total of 3,290 customers were affected after the vandals smashed their way into eight substations in the Foleshill Road area of the city.

And now the company is reminding people that the only safe way to deal with a substation is to stay away.

Bob Taylor, Managing Director of EME, said: “Substations are very dangerous places and the only people who should go inside are qualified EME staff.

“I think it’s more through luck than judgement that these vandals weren’t either seriously hurt or even killed.

“There’s a very good reason why we put danger of death notices on our substations, and that is because there’s a very real danger that anyone going inside could be killed.

“The only way to be safe is to stay away.”

All customers affected by Sunday’s attacks had their power restored within 15 minutes and the substations were quickly made safe again. The police are now investigating the incidents.

Ends

Notes to editors:
Anyone who accidentally loses something in a substation – such as a ball or a kite – should ring 0800 626555 and an EME employee will retrieve the item safely.

For more information contact:
Jonathan Smith on 024 7642 5741
Emily Highmore on 024 7642 4292