Scottish Power admits to cable failure after death
A power distribution company has admitted to failing to maintain its electricity cables after a strike from overhead power lines caused the death of a young man.
Simon Lines, who was 20 years of age and came from Prees in Shropshire, was hit while warning others about a dangerous live power cable that had fallen across a popular road in his village back in 2007. At the inquest into his death, it emerged the loose cable hadn’t been checked for almost 28 years. For its negligence, Scottish Power was fined exactly £130,000 at Shrewsbury’s Crown Court and was prosecuted by the UK’s authoritative Health and Safety Executive.
As was heard in court, Mr Lines died from severe head injuries several days after he had been struck in January 2007 despite having three operations. In addition to this, it was also told how Lines was standing on Whitchurch road warning motorists when he was struck after a lorry hit the cable and then knocked it down to the ground. The next time it was hit by a vehicle, the cable dangerously whipped around the young man’s head.
Coroner John Ellery announced that he would be writing to every major UK energy company while urging them to run checks on all their power cables. In November 2007, a narrative verdict was first recorded at an inquest. However in this one, it was told all cables involving wooden battens are currently being replaced and would be inspected with binoculars to ensure that nothing has been missed out or done wrong.