Fire that burst from pavement set man's car and hedge alight

An underground electrical fault caused flames to burst from the pavement and set fire to a man's car and hedge. More than 100 homes were left without power after the fault in an underground cable at Hackbridge in the London Borough of Sutton.



Bradley Wakelin said: "My family and I came home to find my vehicle and front hedge on fire with the fire fighters putting it out. This was caused by a fire in the electrical junction box underneath the ground that had got so fierce that it caught my hedge and car alight. I feel that people of Sutton and the surrounding areas should be made aware of the dangers that are beneath us.

"I want to send a clear message to UK Power Networks to do something about the situation and the dangers it can cause." UK Power Networks, which operates electrical cables under Sutton, confirmed it is talking to Mr Wakelin about compensation for the damage.



A spokeswoman added: "UK Power Networks engineers worked through the night to restore power after a fault on the underground electricity network in the New Road area of Hackbridge interrupted supplies to 107 customers. We appreciate how difficult it is to be without power and are sorry for the inconvenience caused."