14 September 2004 00:00 'Stay Substation Safe' says Central Networks

Central Networks, the electricity distribution company for the East and West Midlands, is sending out a special safety message to ensure children and adults – ‘Stay Substation Safe’.

This warning is now more important than ever following a report of children going into a substation in Long Eaton, Derbyshire to get their football back.

Central Networks owns and operates almost 100,000 substations across the Midlands, with staff regularly called out to retrieve items such as footballs.

Dave Welbourne, Operational Safety Engineer at Central Networks, said: “Our substations are kept secure because they contain equipment that can be dangerous if disturbed, damaged or interfered with. In some substations there are exposed live wires – you don’t have to touch the wires to get hurt as electricity can jump gaps.

“Most years somewhere in the UK adults and children are seriously injured or, in some cases, killed by entering electricity substations. Untrained people who enter substations expose themselves to a real risk of injury.

“We put Danger of Death signs on our substations as a warning because of the possibility of injury or death to anyone entering.

“Anyone who accidentally loses something in a substation should ring the telephone number on the Danger of Death sign, and a Central Networks employee will get it back for them.

“The only way to stay safe is to stay out.”

For further information and advice designed especially for kids log onto www.powerdiscoveryzone.com.

ENDS

Notes to editors:
•Central Networks is the new name for Midlands Electricity and East Midlands Electricity. The company brings power to 4.8 million customers across the East and West Midlands 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 further information contact:
Rebecca Jackson on 024 7642 4583 or 07879 800084
Out of hours, call 024 7642 4000 and ask for the duty press officer