A builder has been hit with a £24,000 bill after striking an underground mains power line that nearly electrocuted him. Mark Staples was putting up a fence at his sister’s house when he hit the 11,000 volt cable, buried less than a foot below the ground. It led to a village-wide blackout. Doctors said he was “incredibly lucky” to survive and photographs show his chisel melted from the shock. However, nine months later UK Power Networks sent him a bill for £24,000. It said the high voltage underground cable sustained damage and the power to 1,368 customers was cut, which took engineers 10 hours to restore. The shock has left the builder suffering nightmares and receiving a diagnosis of PTSD. The 53-year-old has worked as a qualified builder for 14 years and was working on land he and his relatives have excavated and built on many times, without coming across underground cables. He said: “We had dug a post hole just below a foot on the boundary where an old garden wall exists when I used my breaker to go through some footings to make it a little bit deeper for the concrete fence post. "I had gone barely four inches with the chisel when there was a loud bang, flames and smoke and the deafening sound of electricity buzzing. “I let go of the breaker’s handle instantly. They were plastic and I have been told that is what saved my life. “We had struck a power main on my sister's property without any clear warning of its presence. It was not very deep. You would have expected there to be some warning.” He was installing a new fence after a car crashed into the old one. Because the builder from Swanscombe in Kent, has worked at the house for many years, and even recalls his dad working on it in the 1990s, he didn’t have reason to suspect there would be a hidden underground cable. He knew electricity came through an overhead cable and didn’t think there would be another beneath the soil. He added that there was no hazard tape to alert him, and said: “I have never come across this before. “It all happened so quickly, I was just in shock. My brother-in-law came back outside and his face was just horror. “I did not know what had happened. I thought my Kango had blown up but when we realised what had happened we knew it was serious. “I could have died in the front garden, it is unbelievable I did not. I went to the hospital and spoke to a doctor who was one of many to state how incredibly lucky I was. “I have been told countless times that it was a miracle I had no physical injury or even worse was lucky not to have been killed. “The invoice opened up old wounds. At first, I thought it was a joke. It was an accident and now they have decided to come after me with a bill. “I just wanted to forget about it. I did not go out that morning to hit the power main and try and kill myself, cause damage or shut the village down. It was the last thing I wanted to do. “Would they have still sent the bill if I had been killed?” Mr Staples had been working at his sister’s house in Hextable, near Swanley, Kent when the shock happened on December 1 2022. The letter reads: “This is our claim for compensation following our attendance... to repair damage to our equipment as detailed on the attached invoice. “The reason we are alleging fault is that the damage was caused by you or your employee or agent’s negligence. “This includes failure to adhere to the safe working practices outlined by the Health and Safety Executive in their publication HS(G)47 Avoiding Danger from Underground Services.” A second letter, sent a few weeks ago, states Mr Staples was negligent in his work, for failing to adequately obtain location plans, locate electrical apparatus and using locating scanners. Mr Staples said he did not used a cable avoidance tool (CAT) because he had no reason to believe the power cables would be in the garden. The invoice of £23,970.29 breaks down the cost as £13,445.08 for direct labour, £470.40 for materials and £10,054.81 for indirect labour. He has since replied branding the bill and insult due to the impact it has had on his and his family’s lives. A spokesperson for UK Power Networks said the incident caused damage to the overhead network and extensive work was needed to restore it. They said: “We were concerned to hear of this accident and our first thoughts were for the welfare of the customer. “Our engineer who attended was a trained first aider and also advised him to attend the hospital. “This incident underlines the importance of planning ahead before you dig, as electricity cables and other utilities can run underground. “We recommend that all works of this type are undertaken after consulting cable plans and use of a CAT scanning tool. “We do claim costs for cable repairs after third party damage, and did so within the required timescales. “We have not received a claim from the customer in connection with this incident and would review that if we received one.” The Health and Safety Executive stated most underground cables are laid in trenches between 450millimetres and one metre deep. It added cables may have a layer of tile, slab or coloured plastic marking tape above them, but the protection can be moved and should not be solely relied upon to locate a power line. HSE recommends using a detection tool but adds some cables may not be detected using a locator, and that people should be wary as a negative result doesn’t mean live cables are not present.
Today on the Telegraph’s Ukraine: The Latest podcast, we discuss how Russia is seeking to rejoin the UN Human Rights council and unpick the operational art of conducting warfare with General Sir Richard Shirreff. Single Conductor
A woman spent five days in a psychiatric facility after her ex-boyfriend used his position as a police officer to forcibly arrest and commit her, according to court documents. Ronald Davis, 37, who is married and has a family, claimed she was suicidal based on text messages he had received and obtained a document to commit her on 21 August in the US state of Pennsylvania. Davis has been charged with strangulation, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, simple assault, official oppression and recklessly endangering another person and is in Dauphin County Jail.
The UK Government is taking the EU to court in the first case of its kind since Brexit after SNP ministers in Scotland complained Brussels hit them with fines that were too steep.
A man was caught on camera swearing at a female driver and hitting her windscreen in an apparent road rage incident in Bournemouth, Dorset.
RIAThe commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet reported to have been killed in the destruction of its HQ in occupied Sevastopol last week appears to have survived, if a video released by the Russian defense ministry can be taken at face value.Ukrainian officials publicly “confirmed” Monday that Admiral Viktor Sokolov was among 34 senior officers killed in a missile attack on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters last Friday that came as a hugely damaging blow to the Russian war effort.Russia made no pu
Naked Attraction left viewers stunned upon its debut in the US, with several fans left shocked by the content.
How many F1 races are too many? Bernie Ecclestone believes the point of saturation has already come and gone...
As Great British Bake Off returns, former royal butler unpicks how the Royal Family eats cake
Jane McDonald captured the hearts of the nation with her travel programmes, and she was quickly supported by her fanbase when she shared an incredible announcement about her latest
A shocking video shows a woman trying to defend her little girl and pet as a dog launches an attack on a Sheffield street.
Around a quarter of Brits have at least one unused mobile phone stashed away and gathering dust - but they could be worth up to £10,000.
"I can't make up my mind about him..."
Artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT has fascinated the world since it was unveiled last year – but cybercriminals have now unleashed 'evil cousins' of the bot, chatbots built purely for crime.
Parents of children at Croydon’s Old Palace School have expressed anger and frustration it was announced last week that the school would closein 2025.
A plumber “humiliated and degraded” his girlfriend by forcing her to walk with her head down in public to stop men looking at her, and removed mirrors from her home to stop her putting on make up.
The company behind ChatGPT on Monday said it is adding voice and image capabilities to the generative artificial intelligence (AI) platform long limited to written prompts.Capabilities being added to paid versions of the service allow users to have conversations with the AI and even "show" it what they are talking about, according to OpenAI. "Voice and image give you more ways to use ChatGPT in your life," OpenAI said in a post.
Dashcam footage shows Stavius Gordon flipping through the air after his KTM motorcycle smashed into a silver Audi car as it turned off Ditton Lane in Cambridge. The Audi and a nearby private ambulance were damaged in the incident, Cambridgeshire Police said. Gordon admitted to driving without due care and attention at Cambridge Crown Court and was fined £120 and given nine points on his licence, the force said.
The looming threat of a government shutdown could carry significant challenges for the travel industry, potentially resulting in daily losses nearing $140 million. The aviation sector is anticipated to be the hardest hit, with the possibility of essential workers being required to work without pay. Yahoo Finance Live is joined by Boyd Group International President Mike Boyd to discuss the implications for consumer travel and the challenges that may arise for the Federal Aviation Administration. "Overall, it's just going to accelerate a decline in the efficiency of our air transportation system... also issues of oversight of airlines, oversight of airports, oversight of manufacturers and components," Boyd says. "That's where the real sand might get into the works." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live.
A Rugby School housemistress was suspended after she engaged in “sexual banter” with a female student during a visit to a doctor.
Insulated Copper Cable Major manufacturers like Volvo, BMW and the European arm of Ford are phasing out fossil-fuelled models by 2030 or sooner