23 April 2008 15:32 Putting lives on the line: Notts cable vandals lucky to escape unhurt, warns Central Networks

• Bicycle handlebars and candlestick thrown into power lines
• Children seen throwing branches over high-voltage network

Three vandal attacks in a matter of days on Nottinghamshire power cables left thousands of people without electricity and could have caused serious injury or death, according to Central Networks.

The first attack was near Clay Lane in Newark, where engineers discovered that someone had thrown a set of bicycle handlebars and a candlestick holder into 11,000 volt overhead lines.

More than 2,100 homes and businesses lost power for 90 minutes as engineers worked to make the lines safe again.

Then children in Thoresby-Warsop were seen by neighbours throwing tree branches across the 33kv power lines. They were later chased off by Central Networks engineers who spotted them attacking a transformer connected to the 11,000 volt network.

And, in the latest incident, almost 900 customers lost power in the same area on Monday of this week, when sticks were thrown at the overhead line.

As well as the inconvenience to customers, the vandals targeted high voltage power cables which could have caused truly terrifying - and life-threatening - short circuits.

Phil Wilson, Customer Operations Manager with Central Networks, said: "Whether these incidents were childish, schoolboy pranks or something more sinister, such as somebody trying to steal the cabling, we don't know but it was clearly a hugely dangerous thing to do.

"The message is simple - power lines can kill, stay away from them.

"High voltage electricity can discharge from the cables when objects come into contact or even come near them. That power can travel and could leave someone nearby with serious burns."

The reckless - and potentially deadly - actions of thieves targeting power lines and substations have already led to two deaths, a number of serious injuries and more than 50,000 customers temporarily losing their electricity.

Central Networks, which supplies power to 4.9 million customers from Lincolnshire to the Welsh borders, works closely with the charity Crimestoppers, which is offering a £1,000 reward for information leading to the successful prosecution and conviction of those responsible.

Individuals who wish to provide information about who is committing these crimes can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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.
• Crimestoppers is the only charity dedicated to solving crimes and taking criminals off the streets. Around 17 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers. One person is charged with murder every five days, as a result of information given to Crimestoppers;
• Crimestoppers also runs the Most Wanted website www.mostwanted-uk.org where people can give information about suspected criminals anonymously online;
• Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, it has had over 850,000 calls. There have been over 75,000 arrests, over £95m property has been recovered and over £130m worth of drugs has been seized.

For further information contact:

Andrew Barrow on 024 7618 3677