01 May 2009 12:58 Putting lives on the line: Walsall substation vandals lucky to escape unhurt, warns Central Networks
Vandals have damaged an electricity substation in Walsall three times in the past few months, risking power cuts to local homes and leaving themselves at risk of serious injury or death, according to Central Networks.
In three separate incidents in February and March was broken into and where intruders broke into the Stephenson Avenue substation in the town and damaged equipment inside.
In one of the incidents, on 26th February, electrical switchgear was left exposed leaving both vandals and engineers at risk of electrocution.
Phil Wilson, Customer Operations Manager with Central Networks, said: "The sheer stupidity of vandalising or interfering with the power network should be glaringly obvious to everyone.
"We work very hard to keep people's lights on and their homes warm and incidents like this not only make that job harder but also more dangerous. Vandalising substations is dangerous for those people stupid enough to do it but is also a hazard for our engineers and for passing members of the public unaware that anything has gone on."
The reckless - and potentially deadly - actions of thieves targeting power lines and electricity substations have already led to two fatalities, a number of serious injuries and more than 50,000 customers temporarily losing their electricity supply throughout the region.
Central Networks, which supplies power to 5 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 5 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 Borders 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 http://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