Police have warned people not to play near power lines after a metal dog chain was thrown at a high-voltage cable.

Electricity companies have also issued advice in a bid to stop anyone getting electrocuted.

A 19-year-old man from the Witham area was arrested for criminal damage following an incident where the dog chain was thrown at 11,000-volt overhead lines near Humber Road.

The extent of the damage to the cable led to brief power cuts. The man has been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Paul Roberts, health and safety officer for electricity company 24seven, said: "Anything that touches or comes near the high-voltage overhead lines can make a connection to the person on the ground, causing electrocution and severe burns, and even death."

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "Playing with electricity cables is extremely dangerous and causing damage to them is a criminal offence."

Earlier this year a ten-year-old boy from London was badly burned when he tried to hack his way through an electricity cable beside a railway line with an axe.

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