The mini pillar was damaged by what appears to be a sledgehammer, leaving the equipment in a hazardous condition. The vandalism was not reported to NIE at the time and on Friday evening a young child poked an object into the mini pillar, causing a fire. The child was uninjured but the mini pillar was completely destroyed, causing a loss of electricity supplies to around 30 homes in the area.

Valerie Curran, NIE customer relations manager for the area, says these actions could have proved fatal.

“The equipment contained within a mini pillar is live – this is why there is a Danger of Death sign on the door,” Valerie said.

“These vandals not only put their own lives at risk but they also endangered any member of the public who may have come across the damaged equipment, in this instance a young child out playing. It is an absolute miracle that neither the vandals themselves nor the young child was hurt.

“I can not stress strongly enough the risk of electrocution that vandals take when they maliciously damage or interfere with electricity equipment. To deliberately vandalise live electricity equipment is the height of stupidity.

As part of NIE’s response to the incident NIE safety officer Julie McDowell will visit Bloomfield Primary School this week to speak to the pupils about the dangers of electricity and how they can keep themselves safe.

Lady Sylvia Hermon, North Down MP visited the site this week to inspect the damage caused.

She condemned the vandalism and appealed to the local community to be vigilant. “I was horrified that anyone would risk their own life and put in jeopardy the lives of others by deliberately tampering with electrical equipment,” Lady Hermon said.

“This is not a sport. Instead, it really is dicing with death. So I hope lessons are learned from this incident where, mercifully, no one was hurt. We all need to be vigilant and that includes warning children of the dangers of interfering with any electrical equipment.”