Review after man suffers 'serious electric shock' at Sark event

Equipment connected to the mains supply was turned off in a bid to prevent further incidents

Guernsey Electricity (GEL) has pinpointed a number of errors which led to people receiving electric shocks at an event in Sark, bosses have said.

The incident happened at Creux Harbour last September at the harbour carnival.

People and animals were found to have received shocks from various metallic equipment, the report said.

GEL said it had issued "corrective action" to Sark Electricity Limited (SEL). SEL said work it could afford at the moment had been carried out.

Fisherman's sheds shock

The GEL review was requested by Sark Electricity and John Guille, one of the organisers of the event, to avoid further incidents in the future.

On 9 September, a member of the public was taken to hospital after he was found unconscious and "slumped" over the front draw bar of the refrigerator trailer.

All equipment connected to the mains was then turned off and no further shocks were reported.

The previous day, a Sark resident suffered a "large electrical shock" in the fisherman's sheds while removing a plug from a socket.

The report said the plug had been changed ahead of inspection, suggesting the previous one was in a poor condition.

GEL, which visited the island on 4 October, said the shocks were believed to be caused by a "rise of potential on the earthed components of all equipment connected to the mains supply at the Creux Harbour shed and/or crane shed".

It said this was caused by a "network fault" which happened outside the Harbour Cafe service, in close proximity to the Harbour Cafe main earth stake.

Alan Witney-Price, director of Sark Electricity, said it had been a "deeply upsetting situation".

He said: "The recommendations that we can fulfil through our operational budgets have been done."

He added some items could not be fulfilled because of budgets, and that the company would "continue to push" from bodies such as the Chief Peas to "give us the means if they make more investments".