Safety officers at Central Networks, the electricity distribution company for central England, are heading back to school in the East Midlands in a continuing effort to educate children on how to stay safe around the electricity network.

A recent incident which left a young boy in Leicester injured has highlighted the importance of Central Network's education programme. Eleven-year-old Alexander Bennett seriously injured his finger while trying to retrieve a ball from a substation.

Alexander was playing football with his friends in a school field in Leicester when the ball was kicked across Gillman Road into a substation. He tried to climb over the security fence and fell into the substation, causing serious damage to his left index finger, which required surgery.

Alexander's father, Gary Bennett, said: "Alexander has now learned about the dangers of climbing fences. Kids being kids can be inquisitive and don't always see the dangers of climbing a fence.

"You can replace a football but you can't replace a limb."

Central Networks runs a safety programme for school students at local community events and it recently refreshed its course to make sure the safety messages about electricity substations and overhead power lines stay with children long after their lesson.

Anita Mellor, Public Safety and Cablesafe Manager for Central Networks, said: "This recent incident has really highlighted the importance of our education programme.

"At our school safety events we set up a mock substation that uses pyrotechnics to simulate the shocking power of electricity with smoke and sparks. It's certainly been getting children's attention and it should act as a long-lasting reminder that you should never enter a substation.

"In addition, we'll be addressing the school assembly at Alexander's school, Inglehurst Junior School in Leicester, to make sure all the students are aware of the dangers of trying to get into a substation. Hopefully they'll learn from Alexander's experience and never to try and enter a substation."

Phil Wilson, Central Networks' Customer Operations Manager, said: "Safety is our number one priority and in addition to schools, we work with lots of groups across the wider community, including anglers, farmers and builders, to make sure people know how to stay safe around our network."

For more information about staying safe around the electricity network, visit http://www.central-networks.co.uk/.

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Central Networks, provides a reliable supply to 10 million people in central England through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables - enough to go round the Earth more than three times - and via almost 94,000 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 further information contact:

Alisha Allen on 02476 192 063