Kids receive electric shocks while playing on swings in playground under high-voltage power lines
At least two children reported being "jolted" on equipment in High Brooms, Kent
KIDS as young as three received electric shocks while playing on swings in a playground surrounded by 132,000-volt power lines.
At least two children reported being "jolted" by a live current running through playground equipment on Greggs Wood Road in High Brooms, Kent.
Local resident Shaun Veness was pushing his daughter Poppy, 3, on a swing when she started crying in pain.
He said: "I popped her on the swings, gave her a push and felt a bit of static.
"I pushed her again and she stated crying, saying it hurt. When I took her off I felt the chain, it wasn't static, it was a running current
"It felt like a cattle fence, my hair was on end all day."
Mum-of-two Rachel Betts, who lives in the local area, said: "It's horrific, me and my husband couldn't believe it."
Sitting directly under a power line carrying 132,000 volts, it is thought that the electricity was making the playground equipment a hazard.
Shaun made the complaint and the three pieces of equipment were removed on the same day.
A spokesman from Electrical Safety First said: "This is not simply a case of static but a possible live current running through the chains of these children's swings."
The dangerous playground is on a housing estate where many young families live, developed by Town and Country Planning Association.
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A spokesman from the agency has said that this bizarre incident "seems to be as a result of the unique weather conditions.
He said: "We are continuing to investigate the cause and are unable to speculate further until these investigations are complete."
Despite the shocks received by local families, UK Power Networks have said that so far no fault with the power lines on the edge of the play area have been found.