05 April 2007 00:00 Central Networks issues urgent safety warning after child puts life at risk at Walsall substation

Central Networks, the electricity distribution company for central England, has today issued urgent safety advice ahead of the Easter bank holiday after a child was seen entering a substation in Brownhills, Walsall.

It is believed that the boy had kicked his football over the substation fence and had climbed in to recover it.

Anita Davis, Network and Public Safety Adviser for Central Networks, said: “We fence off our substations and display danger of death notices warning people to stay out because the equipment inside this type of substation can cause serious injuries if interfered with or damaged.

“This urgent safety warning comes as many children across the region are outside playing sport in the school holidays. We certainly don’t want to scare these children but we do want them to stay safe. Our message is simple - stay out and stay alive.

“I can understand why this lad went in after his ball but he’s very lucky that he wasn’t injured. While this substation contained fully enclosed equipment, other sites may not.”

The substation safety rules are:

• Play ball games well away from substations;
• Don’t ever go in to get an item yourself, even if looks to be within reach;
• If an item goes inside a substation, tell an adult.

Anyone who needs an item retrieving from a substation should contact Central Networks on 0800 626555.

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.

For more information contact:
Jamee Majid on 024 7618 3679
A selection of Central Networks images is available free of charge to the media by registering at www.newscast.co.uk and by looking under Distribution.