SP Electricity North West issues safety alert after recent incidents

A safety alert has been issued by SP Electricity North West about the dangers of playing around powerful electrical equipment.

The calls come after several serious incidents which have happened across the North West region.

Engineers were called to an incident which involved youngsters throwing debris at one of its substations in Lancashire while people have also been spotted encroaching the grounds of substations in Greater Manchester. 

Thousands of people have been enjoying the outdoors and with the Bank Holiday weekend approaching, SP Electricity North West is once again calling on people to be cautious around its power network by looking out, looking up, and taking note of its substations and yellow ‘danger of death’ signs. 

Paul Killilea, SP Electricity North West’s asset and investment director and who also oversees safety, said: “The incidents we’ve had reported to us are incredibly dangerous and I urge people to stay clear of the power network.

“For everybody’s safety, it’s vital they’re constantly aware of what is around them, quite often, if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind but we want people to be aware of the power network.

“The power network is made up of all different types of electrical assets. From overhead lines to underground cables to wood poles and metal pylons, our network is diverse, and some equipment operates up to 132,000 volts.” 

To help alert the public, SP Electricity North West has yellow ‘danger of death’ signs on its assets.

SP Electricity North West also urges those who are carrying out DIY projects involving digging, to check for underground cables via plans on the safety pages of its website. And, if people are using ladders, to look out for overhead lines which could be connected to properties.

People are also warned not to use drones or long tent poles near overhead lines as electricity can jump from the lines and travel down directly to the person holding them, causing severe injury or even worse.

Anglers are asked to look out for overhead lines when casting and if people lose a ball or Frisbee in a substation, they are urged not to retrieve it.

“We operate 24/7, 365 days a year and if people lose belongings within the grounds of our substation, we urge people to stay out and contact us via 105,” added Paul.

“Our teams will respond and retrieve the item safely, it’s crucial people aren’t tempted to go and get it themselves.” 

Anybody who sees anything dangerous in or around the power network can call Electricity North West on 105. For more safety advice, go to www.enwl.co.uk/safety.