ELECTRICITY CUPBOARD, SUFFOLK COUNCIL – Suffolk trainee electrician Kevin Plonker, 17, had a nightmare first day on the job

By Our Norfolk Reporter: Ian Bred

A confusing warning sign he affixed to a newly installed circuit box which read, “SAFETY WARNING! Opening this box will result in death by electrocution & a £20 fine!” caused bewilderment amongst concerned council workers.

Didn’t know watt he was doing

Plonker’s apparent stupidity left some doubting the seriousness of the dire warning. The incongruous juxtaposition of imminent death by electrocution with a seemingly arbitrary £20 fine sparked a flurry of worried speculation among some council staff. Others joked that their meagre salaries wouldn’t even cover the cost of the supposed penalty, and questioned the logistics of collecting fines from the dead.

Plonker, only three months into his training is said not to be the sharpest wire cutter in the toolbox, and it was uncertain if the yellow, blue and brown wires inside the box were properly connected.

Council staff, highly charged by the affair, dared one another to test the advice of the warning sign, though few are said to have taken up the challenge. The prospect of facing a potentially fatal consequence coupled with the fine left many opting to steer clear of the enigmatic circuit box altogether.

Luke Screwdriver

The circuit box was later checked by a qualified, veteran electrician who likened what he found inside to “One of C3PO’s arms after it has been ripped off by Chewbacca.”