Builder hit with £24k bill after striking power line
Posted: Tuesday, September 26th, 2023
A builder has received a £24,000 bill after striking an underground mains power line which nearly electrocuted him, according to the Mirror. Mark Staples, 53, hit the 11,000-volt cable, buried less than a foot below the ground, as he put up a fence at his sister's house. It led to a blackout across the village of Hextable, near Swanley, Kent. But Mark was, according to doctors, "incredibly lucky" to survive and photographs show his chisel melted from the shock. However, nine months later, UK Power Networks sent Mark 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 builder, though, has suffered nightmares since the shock and had a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Mark, who has worked as a qualified builder for 14 years, was working on land he and his relatives have excavated and built on many times, without coming across underground cables. A letter sent states Mark was negligent in his work, for failing to adequately obtain location plans, locate electrical apparatus and use locating scanners. Mark said he did not use 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.
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