Vandals have damaged an electricity substation in Walsall three times in the past few months, risking power cuts to local homes and leaving themselves at risk of serious injury or death, according to Central Networks.

In three separate incidents in February and March was broken into and where intruders broke into the Stephenson Avenue substation in the town and damaged equipment inside.

In one of the incidents, on 26 February, electrical switchgear was left exposed leaving both vandals and engineers at risk of electrocution.

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Phil Wilson, Customer Operations Manager with Central Networks, said: "The sheer stupidity of vandalising or interfering with the power network should be glaringly obvious to everyone.

"We work very hard to keep people's lights on and their homes warm and incidents like this not only make that job harder but also more dangerous. Vandalising substations is dangerous for those people stupid enough to do it but is also a hazard for our engineers and for passing members of the public unaware that anything has gone on."

The reckless - and potentially deadly - actions of thieves targeting power lines and electricity substations have already led to two fatalities, a number of serious injuries and more than 50,000 customers temporarily losing their electricity supply throughout the region.

Central Networks, which supplies power to 5 million customers from Lincolnshire to the Welsh borders, works closely with the charity Crimestoppers, which is offering a £1,000 reward for information leading to the successful prosecution and conviction of those responsible.

(CD/JM)