A POWER pole which broke in two after a fire on Thursday morning was left by Western Power workers with just a small strip of orange tape to warn pedestrians.

Daly Street resident Kel Smith is angry about the shoddy attempt by Western Power workers to make the area safe, saying it was clear the pole was an imminent threat to people’s safety.

“We had a bit of rain in the morning and it lit up the top of the pole,” Mr Smith told the Herald.

• Despite the top burning off and dangling wires, Western Power workers decided this small strip of plastic tape was enough to make this pole safe. Photo by Stephen Pollock

“The top metre has burnt off and now the light and all the things are hanging off the side, swinging in the breeze.”

Mr Smith said his South Freo neighbours discovered the pole fire about 8am when their power went out, and he says some hurried off to let Western Power know.

He says when he called later to complain about the danger, the call centre operator said it was the first the department knew about it.

“But someone’s been out, because they’ve run tape from the pole to the tree and the website says the power’s going to be back by 3pm,” Mr Smith said.

“No one seems to understand the urgency of this.”

by STEVE GRANT