- Coming up on this week's news, a builder who says he nearly died after hitting a power cable has been slapped with a bill for £24,000. The ECA calls on Rishi Sunak to take the politics out of EV charging, and British Gas is in hot water this week after trying to get householders to switch to smart meters by warning that their existing gas meters could catch fire. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with The Electric Heating Company. Whether you're listening in the van, on site, or down at the wholesale counter, I'm Joe Robinson, and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. And as always, if you think you've spotted the two words I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. A self-employed builder who says he almost died hitting an underground power mains has been slapped with a £24,000 bill. Mark Staples was working at his sister's house near Swanley in Kent last year when he struck the cable, leading to a blackout in the local village. He was digging a hole for a concrete fence post when there was a loud bang, flames and smoke, and the deafening sound of electricity buzzing. Initially, he thought his Kangaroo had blown up. It turns out he'd hit an underground cable which was energized with 11,000 volts. Staples believes that his life was saved by the fact that his breaker's handle was plastic. He says he saw no hazard tape around the cable to alert him of its presence. Now, nine months on, he's received an invoice for £24,000 from UK Power Networks for the damage he caused. The company says £23,000 is for labor, and £500 is for materials. I'm not sure what the other £500 was for, but it says that Staples failed to adhere to the safe working practices prescribed by the Health and Safety Executive. He failed to obtain location plans, failed to locate any electrical apparatus, and failed to use locating CAT scanners. The company says that damage was caused to a high-voltage underground cable which interrupted power to 1,300 customers in the area, and took 10 hours for engineers to restore. Staple says he initially thought the letter in the invoice was a joke. He says the bill has opened up old wounds. The incident was an accident, he says, one in which he could have been killed. He says that he did not go out that morning to hit the power main and try and kill himself, cause damage or shut the village down. And he asks if UK power networks would have still sent the bill if he had been killed. Staples is now seeking legal advice and intends to contest the charge. And speaking of all things dangerous, we've come to the end of September, which means this year's Safer September campaign has come to a successful close. However, we've decided to keep it going into October with the launch of our brand-new health and safety training module. Myself and our new presenter, Joe Threepio-Hammond, have created a series of videos on the dangers that present themselves to electricians and anyone involved in construction work, including topics like asbestos, working at heights and in confined spaces, and even mental health. It's been supported by the good people at the Lusiko Group, and is now available to complete at the grand old cost of zero pounds and no pence. So, whether you've been on site for years, or you're just starting out, give it a go and stay safe and healthy. The link, as ever, is in the show notes. In other news, the Electrical Contractors Association has called on Rishi Sunak to take the politics out of the move to low-carbon technologies. It says investment in training and infrastructure would be boosted if the UK's net-zero targets weren't a political football. The move follows the Prime Minister's decision to delay a ban on cars with internal combustion engines. The ECA fears it will reduce the amount of work for electricians on charge points. Jordan Brompton, co-founder of EV charger maker Myenergi, agrees and says, Sunak's decision isn't good news for anyone. She says the UK needs to make big, bold, and brave decisions and then stick to them. There was, however, some good news this week for electricians looking to get into the EV charging game. Charging station maker Compleo has opened its partner program to electricians. The Oxford-based firm wants new commercial ChargePoint installers. It says it can deliver its quality kit in two working days because they hold their entire range of AC and DC chargers in stock at their Maidenhead warehouse, ready for fast delivery to anywhere in the UK. They promise outstanding quality, performance, and reliability. And because they don't sell through wholesalers, it means you deal with the manufacturer directly. They also offer expert support and an attractive commercial rewards package, including major discounts for their accredited installation partners, comprehensive product training, as well as technical, sales, and marketing support. I'll pop the link in the show notes if you want to learn more. I think that looks like a brilliant opportunity to grow your business. Rishi Sunak isn't the only one facing criticism this week. British Gas is in hot water after trying to get householders to switch to smart meters by warning that their existing gas meters could catch fire. The company is being investigated for sending these so-called marketing emails. One told a customer the British Gas urgently needed to replace his old electricity meter as it could overheat, causing a risk of fire. The customer was urged to book an appointment and was told that an engineer would also replace his old gas meter at the same time. Once this was all done, the meters would be safe, the email said. When one customer contacted British Gas in a panic, he was told not to worry. He was told that it was just a new advertising strategy to persuade customers to switch to smart meters. A source told the Times newspaper that the big energy firms were increasingly desperate to persuade people to make the switch and were now resorting to scare tactics. British Gas said,"It would review the wording of its emails." Hopefully, without any mojitos in the marketing team this time. In product news, Bell Lighting has unveiled an innovative fire-rated downlight where you can change the LED module. The company's Firestay GeoLED sustainable modular downlight boasts a housing that is designed to remain in the ceiling for life. This means that no waste goes to landfill when the LED module comes to the end of its life. Instead, the light engine itself, dubbed the GeoMod, can be replaced by the householder. The module is then sent to a local Bell Lighting Collection hub for return to the factory. The Firestay has recently been nominated for a Build Back Better award for its sustainability credentials. Now, last week we discussed the government's tool theft law which has recently hit the statute books, but many in the trade worry that it doesn't go far enough in protecting our kit from criminals. However, in news that's sweeter than a puppy made out of butterscotch, we found out that Armed has added more features to its guard tool alarm and tracker. You set it up by plugging it into the onboard diagnostics port in your van. You can usually find this under the dashboard. If your van is broken into, it discreetly and silently calls you while the criminals are in action without them knowing. The firm has also recently added an auto-scheduling feature. This allows you to program when the alarm comes on or off. A built-in GPS allows you to track your van's location and movements in real time. And finally, a power cut mystery has been solved in India. The village of Ganeshpur in northern India has had frequent outages for weeks. They always occurred a few hours after sunset. No one seemed to know what was causing the problems, and the power company couldn't help either. So, the villagers formed a search party and decided to look for answers. After combing the streets, they reached the schoolyard where they discovered two sweethearts trying to keep their relationship a secret. It turns out the man was the local electrician, and he was so desperate to keep the secret that he cut the power for between two and three hours a night every time they met, just so people wouldn't see them. The electrician was beaten up, had his hair cut, and was paraded through the streets as punishment. But the story has sort of a happy ending. After finding out about their secret romance, the villagers forced the couple to marry. Now just before we get to your favorite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, they're the people who've created the Swiss Army Knife of solar inverters, along with all-weather batteries, very much the Boy Scouts of the solar industry, it's Sunsynk. Up next, for all your circuit protection needs, they're like having an Italian star striker in your premiership team, it's Lewden Palazzoli, and for the ultimate experience in wireless sound and home cinema with their most powerful portable speaker yet, it's the home of the roam Sonos. The best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, it's Doncaster Cables, the home of EV Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality cables, and to fix all that gear together and to surfaces, you need fasteners that would win a gold medal. It's Olympic Fixings. Celebrating their 100th anniversary of literally creating connections in the electrical industry this year, rising from the flames like some kind of mythological avian, it's Phoenix Contact. And finally, celebrating their 60th anniversary this year with an incredible range of equipment from EV charge points through industrial sockets and switches to kit for explosive areas, plus they supplied gear for a Campari factory, so they'll always have a place in my heart, it's Scame. Big thanks to you all. We really appreciate your ongoing support for the news. If you think you know the words that I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments, and we'll dig out a goody bag prize for the first to get the right answers. Last week's words were transgressive and camembert. And apparently, you took my previous week's comments about no one getting it right as a challenge because squillions of you got it right this week. However, the first person over the line was EXF Electrician. So, well done to you. Please click the link in the description to claim your prize. Thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with the Electric Heating Company. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening, and until next time have a great week. Stay safe out there, and remember there no such thing as a talk calibrated arm.