Leisure and electricity

Click here to read our advice for avoiding danger during leisure activities.

Playing safe

Stay away - Stay Alive: Play ball games well away from substations.

Rule 1: If your ball or other property falls inside a substation - Don't ever get it yourself - even if it looks to be in reach.

Rule 2: Never try to poke anything through the fence to reach your ball. Please remember even damp sticks can conduct electricity.

Sports and games

Look Out! Look Up.

• Check for Overhead Power Lines in the area where you are going to set up your sports activity
• Overhead Power Lines are generally mounted on wooden poles but can also be mounted on steel pylons or concrete structures
• Treat all Overhead Power Lines as live
• All materials including poles and nets will conduct electricity, more so if wet or damp. You do not need to come into direct contact with the Overhead Power Lines - electricity can jump over 2 metres
• Look out for signs, which have been sited near to Overhead Power Lines, which point out the danger
• Never erect goal posts, or any other sporting equipment close to an Overhead Power Line
• Never carry long objects vertically, always horizontally, parallel with the ground at as low a height as possible
• Never attach or tie anything off Overhead Power Lines or electrical equipment.
• Don't light fires beneath Overhead Power Lines.

Kite Flying

Never fly kites or model aircraft anywhere near electricity overhead lines. If a kite or model aircraft is blown towards an electricity line you must:

• Let go of the string or any attached control wire immediately
• Don't attempt to touch the string to pull the kite free, high voltage electricity can travel down string
• Keep yourself and others well away
• Ring the number shown on the pole notice for help, we can safely remove the kite from the line. If you leave it hanging and say nothing, someone else could get hurt or even killed by touching the hanging string

Click here for a range of material giving advice and guidance on safety, produced by the Energy Networks Association.