Darwin Award candidate

[John]

In Derby:

"A MAN suspected of breaking into an electricity substation carrying 33,000 volts has been transferred to Birmingham Hospital with "extensive" burns. A power surge at the site in Victory Road, Sinfin, alerted staff at Central Networks to a problem at about 5pm yesterday and, at the same time, police received reports of an injured man in the street.

Inspector Nigel Lidsey said officers had arrested a man, who was taken to the Royal Derby Hospital. This morning he was transferred to the burns unit at Birmingham."

No doubt we will soon hear what a good person he is and how he cared for his mother, etc.

[The Natural Philosopher]

And was trying to nick the copper wire for her arthritis.

[Jules Richardson]

What, did he have 'em in a bucket, or something?

[A.Lee]

I've been on a course over the last few weeks, and on that course is a chap who works for Eon (Used to be CEGB in the Midlands - main power suppliers), and he has to attend to all of these reports of shorts and power surges. It costs the power companies thousands per week. When the wires are chopped through, there can be either a surge down the neutral, or earth lines to the consumers, depending on how the idiots cut through the wires. This causes anything plugged in to be shorted out and burnt in a split second. His team have to go round and repair all of the customers property, which generally means a rewire and replacement of many household electrical appliances. I asked about a surge protector to guard against such a thing, but he says that they are no good against such a short, as they only cut the live (generally) and these surges come down the neutral usually.

Alan.

[dennis]

I grassed on a bloke digging up the cables in a substation near where I work last week. the police arrived with a CN engineer but they were too late, he had ridden off on a bike. I don't think they got him. CN have replaced the barbed wire in an attempt to stop him coming back with a hacksaw. The contractors were surprised when I asked them what they were doing but agreed that connecting the barbed wire to the mains would be a good idea. The 11kV side i hope.

[damduck-egg]

He was a down to earth chap.

G.harman

[John]

But it phased him.

Previously he had been quite neutral!