UK Power Networks come up with a cunning plan to save lives of swans
Newly installed bird diverters. - Credit: UK Power Networks
Swans will be safer when they fly in to feed in a Fenland field.
It is all thanks to bird diverters that have been installed on overhead power cables.
Around 80 diverters have just been installed by UK Power Networks along 500 metres of power cable after several swans collided with the power line.
Whooper swans fly in low each night to feed in a field at Thorney Dyke, near Peterborough, before they roost overnight.
The fluorescent safety deterrents were added to overhead cables by linesmen who are trained to work safely on live power lines, without turning off electricity supplies in the area.
UK Power Networks lead field engineer Stuart Clark, said the problem occurred after the swans decided a recently-harvested sugar beet field was the best place to feast each evening.
Stuart said: “ We are helping prevent the birds being injured and also helping to ensure reliable power supplies to our customers.”
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