Northern Power Grid warning people not to set fireworks off near power lines across the North East
They say it can cause dangerous consequences
There is a stark warning this weekend not to set fireworks off near substations and power lines.
Northern Power Grid who operate the electricity cables across the North East are urging families to stay clear of them.
Gareth Pearson, director of health and safety at Northern Power Grid, said: "If someone makes contact with our overhead lines, it can be serious in terms of serious injuries or even worse, fatalities. So, we're just asking people as they’re setting off fireworks and building bonfires to take a few minutes to look around and make sure they are well away from all the headlines or substations.
"You don't have to be in contact with the wires. Now they aren’t in touching distance, but if you’re building the bonfire up against an overhead line, it could cause some damage to that and bring those conductors down. If anyone sees anything like that, stay well away, keep any friends, family, pets well out of the way.
"There are resources on our website which parents can talk to their children about, so we would recommend anyone takes a look at that and uses that. If you do see anything that's either unsafe or dangerous, stay away from it, use the free phone number one or five, give us a call and we'll come and sort it out."