Underground mapping News & views

Cable strike injures contractor and affects power to hundreds of houses.

Even in quiet residential streets the dangers from underground assets is still great; take for instance the incident where a workman suffered serious burns when he cut through a cable – sparking an explosion that knocked out power to more than 800 homes in Walsall earlier week.

Residents reported seeing flames shoot into the sky and heard a bang just before 10am in the Lichfield Road area of the town.

A 22-year-old, who is thought to have mistakenly put a jack hammer through an electrical cable in a new housing development, was airlifted to Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham with burns to his head and arms.

He was said to be in severe pain, but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

This one service has not only caused the serious injury to the individual, but has also had a knock on effect to over 800 homes who lost electricity for 2 hours and subsequent road closures that frustrated drivers.

Eon are reported to have restored power to the area before noon that same day, but it is the long term damage that striking this one service may have done to the young man, potentially physically and psychologically that could be hardest to repair.