A LITHUANIAN farm worker knocked out power to part of Forfar after crashing his tractor into an electricity sub-station, the town’s sheriff court heard yesterday.

Simonas Liska (25) demolished a metal fence surrounding the installation and damaged one of the cabinets containing transformers, at a cost of thousands of pounds, before leaving the scene.

He yesterday admitted driving carelessly, causing his tractor to collide with the sub-station, in Carseview Road, Forfar on November 6, causing extensive damage.

Liska, Auchrennie Farm Cottages, Muirdrum, by Carnoustie, also pled guilty to failing to stop and give his name and address.

He was fined £700 by Sheriff Kevin Veal, who also added six penalty points to his licence.

Fiscal depute Donna Brown said workers at a food factory on Carseview Road were alerted to the incident when they heard a bang, rushing out to see what had caused it.

They saw the tractor in situ and Liska sitting in the cab for a short period before driving off.

“The damage was such that the electricity was out in the immediate area,” Mrs Brown explained.

One lane of the road was cordoned-off and the fiscal told the court it was the opinion of a Scottish and Southern Electricity engineer that the damage was potentially dangerous.

The cost of the damage was estimated at around £15,000.

Liska was in Forfar that day to collect materials from an engineering firm in Carseview Road when the incident happened.

Mrs Brown added it was her information the driver had been reversing his tractor outside the engineering firm when the incident happened.

However, Elaine Sym, defending, disputed this and said her client had told her he was driving forward at the time, when he met another vehicle.

“He completely misjudged, had pulled over too far and hit the electricity sub-station.”

Sheriff Veal told Mrs Sym, “If he was reversing that is bad enough but if he was going the way you said that makes it worse.”