On Wed, 07 Nov 2012 19:19:33 +0000, GB wrote:

Investigating, I found that he hadn't bothered to unreel more of the
extension cable than he needed to reach the job - despite clear
instructions on the reel to that effect. The entire lot inside the reel
had melted, and the power went off when the cores touched. This was a
man who had been doing this sort of work for over 10 years, mind.

And was his comment "That's odd. The last time I used a cable reel like
that one, the same thing happened".

I hope he paid for a replacement.

--
Cheers
Dave.