YOUNG vandals put their lives at risk by plunging a spike into an 11,000 volt power cable -- and blacked out thousands of homes.

The youngsters broke into a building site and diced with death by severing the cable before they attacked a nearby electricity substation, smashing wiring panels inside and leaving large areas of Westhoughton without power for several hours.

They cut into the underground cable which had been exposed on the site of the former Bellhouse Hartwell site on Leigh Road. The cable serves the Daisy Hill area.

Elderly and vulnerable residents suffered an electricity blackout which lasted for around two hours and affected 3,500 homes.

Engineers who went to restore power the next day found the culprits had also broken into a nearby substation and attacked wiring.

They were forced to turn off power for around an hour at 8.50pm, affecting around 40 people.

United Utilities today branded the actions of the vandals "dangerous and thoughtless".

Many residents who were left without electricity also condemned the incident. They included one disabled homeowner, Kathleen Aspinall, who is paralysed from the neck down.

Mrs Aspinall, aged 52, needs electric hoists to get her out of her armchair, into bed, up the stairs and even for her pressure-relieving mattress to work.

She said the power cut left her unable to move.

Mrs Aspinall, who has suffered from severe multiple sclerosis for 25 years, said: "These people don't care. They don't think of the effect it's having.

"My carers only come at certain times of the day and these cuts have come when my carers are supposed to put me to bed around 8.45pm. I was sitting in my armchair until midnight on Thursday and my family had to come around the put me to bed. It took five people to get me upstairs.

"The day after I asked to be put in bed really early, around tea time, just in case it went off again and it did but at least I was in bed that time.

"It took six phone calls to find out what was going on and I don't think United Utilities really understood how much I needed power."

A United Utilities spokesman said: "Someone had broken into the site and used a spike or metal bar to pierce the cable, which is a highly dangerous thing to do.

"That cable has 11,000 volts running through it and is extremely dangerous.

"Engineers who went to the substation also found that had been vandalised.Whoever did it is lucky they were not killed.

"They're not only putting their own lives at risk but the consequences for other people, particularly the elderly, are disruptive. It was a dangerous and thoughtless act. This is very frustrating for our customers and very dangerous for the people doing it. We can only apologise to our customers but it was outside our control."

The factory that once stood on the site was demolished last year after a string of fires started by arsonists.

Neighbours said today youngsters have been seen on the land.

Matthew Hunter, aged 30, of Leigh Road, said: "It hasn't been as bad since the factory was pulled down but kids have always gone on there.

"A lot of kids go there drinking and there have been people taking drugs in the past."

Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "We see kids on there all the time messing about.

"There were three big fires when the factory was demolished last year.

"We've always suffered from problems with the power supply and kids sabotaging it doesn't help. It's a stupid thing to do."

Insp Simon Miskell of Bolton Police said: "The main concern is for people's safety.

"Anyone tempting with that sort of voltage is putting their life at risk.

"Building sites are incredibly hazardous places fraught with danger."