Safety warning after foil balloon sparks field fire

Safety advice has been issued after a foil balloon caught in electricity lines caused sparks that started a fire in a farmer's field in Nottinghamshire.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters were called to Bingham Road, Tithby, shortly before 19:00 BST on Friday, and three hose reel jets and beaters were used to extinguish it.

The authority said it believed the fire "was started by sparks from a pylon when a children's balloon came into contact with it". National Grid said 271 customers experienced a brief interruption to their power.

The fire service and National Grid have since issued safety advice about balloons.

A spokesperson for National Grid said "foil balloons can conduct electricity and should be kept well away from overhead power lines and other electrical equipment".

They added: "We understand this will have been a worrying incident for the farmer involved and we'd like to thank Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service for their response.

"A balloon became caught on one of our overhead electricity lines near Tithby on Friday evening. As a result, 271 customers experienced a brief interruption to their power supply lasting around two minutes.

"Our engineers attended the scene and made the line safe."

The fire service has since added balloon safety advice to its website. It states helium balloons should never intentionally be released as they can "cause power outages and harm local wildlife and livestock".

Balloons must also be deflated and snipped at the ends before putting them in the bin, and metallic string or ribbon should not be used as it can lead electricity straight to the person holding the string if it touches power infrastructure.

Both the fire service and National Grid said if a balloon - or any object - got stuck in power lines or equipment, people must not attempt to retrieve it or knock it down.

Anyone who spots an object caught in the electricity network should stay well clear and call National Grid on 105.

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