With the summer holidays now in full swing, parents across County Durham and North Yorkshire are being urged to remind their children about the potential dangers of electricity.

Northern Powergrid say anything from kicking a ball into a substation to seeing anything hanging from the power lines could have fatal consequences.

Geoff Earl, director of safety at Northern Powergrid, said:

"This summer holiday there'll be thousands of youngsters out and about in our communities making the most of the school break and looking for things to do.  

"We want to ensure that they understand this must not include climbing pylons and playing near overhead power lines or substations.

"It's vital that they understand the real dangers of coming into contact with an active power network, accidentally or otherwise, as it can lead to potentially fatal injuries.

"We're appealing to all parents, grandparents and guardians to take a few minutes before the school break to chat about the potential hazards and what their youngsters should do if they accidently kick a ball into a substation, or see anything hanging from our power lines.

"Retrieving items yourself is extremely dangerous, so we want them to know that they can contact our 24-hour emergency contact centre team and we'll send an engineering team out to help.

"Doing the right thing and avoiding the extreme risks of live electricity will help ensure everyone remains safe and can still have fun this summer holiday."