Fire chief’s warning over meter tampering dangers

An electrical meter which had been tampered with was discovered following a house fire in Eastwood last month.

The fire caused the downstairs of the property on Grosvenor Road to become heavily smoke logged, although the meter was not thought to have been the cause of the fire in this instance.

Fire chiefs said information from partner organisations suggested pre-paid or card-operated electricity meters are being adapted in a bid to obtain free electricity — a practice which is becoming more prevalent in some areas of South Yorkshire.

But firefighters are warning that not only is the tampering process illegal, it also extremely dangerous and dramatically increases the chances of suffering a potentially devastating house fire.

Head of community safety Kevin Ronan, said: “We know from some incidents across the country and here in South Yorkshire that this is happening more and more frequently, mainly with electricity metres but sometimes with gas meters, too.

“We need people to realise how dangerous this is.

“The meters overheat, melting the plastic casing and causing a fire.

“It isn’t worth putting your family's lives in danger simply to reduce your utility bills."

It is believed teams are operating in South Yorkshire offering to illegally install meter bypasses.

Fire safety staff will be handing out safety advice leaflets at properties in the next few weeks warning residents about the dangers of meter tampering.