ELECTRICITY distributor Norweb has issed a warning to children to stay well away from electricity installations after two foxes died at sub stations.

One incident happened at the Thornton sub station near Skipool, a few miles from Blackpool, the other in Clayton, Manchester. In both cases the animals managed to get past two secure steel fences and climb on top of high voltage transformers.

Norweb engineer Steve Halliwell said it is rare that animals are even injured, let alone killed, in accidents at sub stations: "But if it can happen to a fox it can happen to a child -- it is a timely warning that people should keep away."

Steve said that despite being well protected, sub stations can never be made 100 per cent impenetrable.

"The foxes were obviously very determined to get in for some reason, and they died because of it."

In the past the company has experienced a variety of problems with children trespassing on its substation sites, and have issued the warning in the light of these incidents and the death of the foxes.