11 April 2006 00:00 Central Networks reminds children in Midlands to be on their BEST behaviour over Easter holidays

Electricity distribution company Central Networks is reminding children across the Midlands to keep well away from its electrical equipment and stay safe while having fun over the Easter break.

To get the special safety message across, the company is asking local youngsters to be on their BEST behaviour:

B – Be safe and do not climb electricity poles or pylons or enter substations;
E – Electricity can kill, so do not risk your life by touching any electrical equipment or wires;
S – Stay away from overhead lines, and take care when using kites, fishing rods and model aeroplanes. Electricity can travel down kite strings and fishing rods and cause serious injuries or even kill you;
T – Tell an adult if you see something dangerous or if your ball goes into a substation.

Stephen Hennell, Network and Public Safety Manager at Central Networks, said: “I’m sure children across the region are looking forward to the start of the Easter holidays and getting outside and making the most of the better weather.
“Electricity can be dangerous, but by remembering a few basic safety rules and not taking unnecessary risks, children can have fun and keep themselves safe.

“But it’s important that children understand that playing with our pylons, overhead lines or substations could mean playing with their lives.”

Central Networks has set up a website (www.powerdiscoveryzone.com) especially designed for children, with fun activities to teach them about electricity, and how they can learn to recognise the dangers around the home and in the street.

The website contains jokes, competitions, games and fun facts.


Ends

Notes to editors:
• Central Networks is the new name for Midlands Electricity and East Midlands Electricity. The company brings power to 4.9 million customers across the East and West Midlands through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables – enough to go round the Earth almost four times – 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.
• The Power Discovery Zone website (www.powerdiscoveryzone.com) is designed to support the Central Networks Power Discovery Truck which is a free resource that visits local schools to teach pupils about electricity and electrical safety.