A youngster whose kite got stuck in a Huddersfield power line is at the forefront of a vital safety campaign.
When 11-year-old Jack Dalton’s kite became trapped on the line at Hade Edge he didn’t know what to do - but luckily his dad, John, did.
Instead of trying to get it down himself he got his dad to phone powerline company Northern Powergrid’s contact centre and engineer Chris Joynson was sent out to retrieve the kite.
Now Northern Powergrid wants others to learn from the story.
The electricity distributor wants parents to spend just five minutes this half term reminding their children that powerlines can be lethal.
Geoff Earl, director of safety, health and environment at Northern Powergrid, said: “Thousands of school children will be spending time outdoors enjoying the break from school and we want to ensure they stay safe while having fun. This means it’s vital that young people are reminded of the dangers of power lines and substations and understand that interfering, accidentally or otherwise, with any part of our electricity network could potentially prove fatal.
“We’re asking all parents and guardians to spend just a few minutes chatting with their children about the potential hazards so they know what to do should they see anything hanging from our power lines or they accidentally kick a ball into one of our substations. Retrieving items themselves could ultimately prove fatal and young people need to know to stay away.
“We want young people to know that if they spot anything potentially unsafe they can call 105, the easy-to-remember power cut number, which will connect them to our 24-hour emergency contact centre team who’ll send an emergency response team out to help. Doing the right thing and avoiding the extreme risks of live electricity will help ensure everyone remains safe and has fun during the half term.”
* To watch Jack on the safety video go to www.examiner.co.uk
