Mystery of electric shocks in Ramsgate town centre

BAFFLED electricians have been called in to Ramsgate town centre after a petrified pooch got a nasty shock from a puddle.

Paisley, a shih tzu, writhed and howled in agony as he stepped in the puddle while out for a walk with his owner, Steve Hallam after apparently being given an electric shock from a wet pavement.

Steve Hallam with his dog Paisley
Steve Hallam's finger was bitten by his beloved shih tzu
Steve Hallam with his shih tzu dog Paisley, both of whom received a nasty electric shock from a puddle on the pavement outside Crusties bakery in Ramsgate
The Street, Ramsgate where the shocks took place, now being investigated by UK Power Networks
Marmalade Cafe owner Michelle Hudson, with manager Dorina Tutuiano, who discovered their kitchen sink was 'live'

Mr Hallam said: "It happened on the Monday afternoon when I was walking along Harbour Street, and as I went past Crusties the bakery we came to a puddle where the snow had melted and Paisley suddenly went mad.

"Everyone stopped dead in their track to look at what was happening. It was like he was screaming.

"I went to pick him up and he bit me, then I got a shock from the ground. I couldn't believe it. He was really upset."

Elaine Derrick, the manager of Crusties bakery, saw the incident unfold.

She said: "The sound was awful. I felt so sorry for the dog, it seems like it was in real pain. A while later I saw another dog do the same thing and I thought there must have been something in that puddle."

Michelle Hudson from the nearby Marmalade Cafe said she finally called national grid operators UK Power Networks on Thursday after her husband Mark started getting shocks from the kitchen sink.

She said: "I knew something was up when I saw a large dog get terrible shock from the pavement, but then my husband got a shock from the kitchen sink, so he had to disconnect the power to the street because everything was live.

"To think we could have been electrocuted just by doing the washing up."

A spokesman from UK Power Networks said: "UK Power Networks is concerned to hear of the problems customers have had in Harbour Street, Ramsgate.

"On Thursday evening, customers called us to say they were worried about issues in the area.

"We dispatched engineers immediately but, although they were on site at about 9.30pm, further investigations were needed.

"So they returned to Harbour Street on Friday morning where they found part of the electricity distribution system was faulty, caused by an underground cable serving a street light.

"They disconnected supplies to two properties to make the cable safe and worked on the incident all day and into the night.

"At 10.30am on Saturday repairs to the underground cable were completed and supplies restored to the properties."

The spokesman added: "We appreciate how difficult it can be to lose power, especially in cold, dark weather, and would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused by this incident.

"If any customer has reason to feel worried about the electricity distribution network in their area, they should call our Freephone hotline number for the South East – 0800 783 8866."