A WIDOW is set to sue a utilities station operator after her husband was electrocuted while pruning hedges.
Gardener Blair Campbell, 35, was carrying out work on an ivy-covered bush when he accidentally came into contact with a substation wire in October 2022.
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The dad-of-two was airlifted to hospital following the horror but tragically died shortly after.
An inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court found that Blair from electrocution.
The victim’s widow, Tina, says she is yet to receive any apology from SP Energy Networks – part of Scottish Power – who operated the station.
She now says she will sue the company to get damages for her husband’s death.
Tina, who lives in Mobberley with her two children, said she had received no apology or compensation from Scottish Power.
She said: “There was not a lot we could do prior to the inquest. Because of the complexity of the case and involvement by HSE and the police that delayed things and we had to wait two years for the inquest.
“My solicitors have been in touch since the inquest with Scottish Power sending paperwork, but basically there has been silence.
“As a result my solicitors have had to put the matter back into the courts.
“I believe that Scottish Power now has 28 days to respond after they were put on notice of our intentions.
“If that fails we will have to apply for a court date, which is unlikely to be before autumn next year. This would drag it out for another 12 months.
“The inquest was over three days with a jury and the conclusion was that they (the power company) ‘more than likely contributed to the death of Blair’ due to the lack of maintenance.”
The inquest was told Blair ran firm, Blue Kiwi Gardens and Maintenance, after moving to the UK from New Zealand to be with Tina.
On October 3, 2022, he had gone to work to prune the hedge when he suffered the fatal shock.
Thick ivy on the bush had covered warning signs about the substation – meaning Blair was unaware of the danger underneath.
The court was told that before Blair’s death, numerous reports had been made about a need to remove the ivy that were not acted on.
SP Energy Networks, which maintains the substation, has now made changes to its health and safety policy.