Boy electrocuted in metal theft attempt

Following the theft of metal from Middleton Railway, the BBC reports that a 16 year old boy has died after trying to steal metal from the former Skelton Grange power station site in Stourton. It is not known if the two incidents are related. The BBC reported:

 

A teenage boy has been electrocuted in a suspected theft of copper cable at a disused West Yorkshire power station.

The 16-year-old suffered fatal injuries after tampering with cabling at the site on Skelton Grange Road in Stourton, Leeds on Sunday, 3 July.
His body was discovered by a security guard working for CE Electric UK.

West Yorkshire Police said three youths had been interviewed. The company has dealt with 279 incidents of metal theft in West Yorkshire in the last year.
Geoff Earl, head of safety for CE Electric UK, said: “It is believed that the youth died after attempting to steal copper components from our network.
“The circumstances of the incident have had devastating consequences for his family who now have to come terms with this tragedy.”

He said: “We cannot stress enough how dangerous it is to tamper with electrical equipment on the network.

“Our sites are clearly marked with ‘Danger of Death’ signs for a very important reason.

“We are pleading with these thieves to think about the consequences of their actions and how much they are risking for such a small return, especially in light of this tragedy.”