15 January 2008 14:30 Central Networks helps protect Lincolnshire park from boy racers

Boy racers churning up the pitch at a Lincolnshire village park have found their paths blocked thanks to engineers from Central Networks, the electricity distribution company for central England.

The company, part of E.ON UK, arranged to place more than 30 sections of old wooden electricity poles at the entrance to Cranwell Playing Fields to stop unwanted vehicles straying onto the park - home to a number of junior and adult football teams.

Paul Greenwood and linesman Paul Holvey, based at Central Networks' Sleaford Delivery Centre, and plant operative Godfrey Carnell of Abba plant, spent three days over the New Year period laying sections of the recycled poles across the entrance to the playing fields.

"The park's suffered from cars and even quad bikes being ridden over the grass and we were glad to help make it a safer and a nicer place for the children to play football," said Paul, a Resource Team Leader with Central Networks.

"We had some old poles and they tend to be a problem to dispose of so we were delighted to offer a few days' labour to recycle the poles and help protect the environment.

"They're placed about a metre apart, which is enough to stop cars and other vehicles getting through but to allow pedestrians to get into the park."

Peter Gregory, Delivery Centre Manager for Central Networks, said: "Paul came to me with an idea to help his local community which we are always happy to do. I'd like to thank them for their involvement."

Shelagh McIntyre, Clerk of Cranwell and Byards Leap Parish Council which owns the playing fields, said: "Over the last couple of years we've had boy racers doing figure-of-eights on the playing field.

"Parish councils don't have much money and we were wracking our brains to come up with something cheap and effective.

"We were absolutely gobsmacked when Central Networks offered this solution. The speed at which this project has been carried out, and at no cost to the parishioners, has been truly amazing.

"The men who did it were brilliant. They spent three days in not very nice weather screwing these telegraph poles half into the ground.

"They've done a fantastic job and it hasn't cost us a penny and that doesn't happen very often nowadays. To see the difference a parish council, working with the local community, can make is brilliant."

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Central Networks brings power to 4.9 million customers across central England 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 Boarders to the Lincolnshire Coast.

For more information contact:

Andrew Barrow on 02476 183 677

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