When 50,000 volt power cables came down on Simon Mabin's tractor, trapping him inside the electrified cab, he knew instinctively what to do – call mum for help.

The 24-year-old from Dean Prior, who captains the high-energy Newton Abbot All Whites rugby team, was busy ploughing on the family's 170-acre dairy farm on Tuesday lunchtime when he realised his £30,000 machine was buzzing and sparking.

The fallen power lines were lying just inches above him on the cab roof and caught up behind in the ploughing gear.

How they had got there was of little concern compared to planning what to do next.

'I just didn't know what to do, so I rang mother. I was stuck in the cab and the tractor was fizzing and buzzing,' he said.

'I asked her to get someone to switch the power off.'

Unaware that 400 homes in the area had been blacked out by the incident, Simon sat still waiting for help...

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