From the archive · Originally published 14 April 2016.
Neil’s had another busy few weeks to contend with – the arrival of spring has certainly not meant that electrical emergencies are no longer happening in Hampshire! Indeed it is when people start doing gardening and some outside work at home that they sometimes discover problems with outside power supplies and lights that have developed over the winter months. It was during a visit to disconnect an external electricity supply that Neil came across a tiny bird’s nest which had been lovingly built in top of the switches and fuses! Luckily the nest was empty and looked as though it had been abandoned for some time, so Neil was able to remove it without harming any wildlife.
Neil also came to the rescue for a local convenience store which found itself and it’s customers somewhat inconvenienced by a roller shutter door that ground to a halt a third of the way up. Neil restored power to the shutter, allowing anyone over 2ft 6 inches (that was everyone present) to gain access to the shop and carry on with their day!
Finally a visit to replace a light fitting resulted in a bit of a surprise for Neil and the homeowner. As Neil removed the old fitting it became apparent that whoever attached it had come very close to blowing the fuse and giving himself a shock, as the screw went straight through the wiring! (See the accompanying image). The only comment from Neil? ‘I hope he went and bought himself a lottery ticket with luck like that…’