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What's the key to car lock mystery?
IT sounds like the stuff of science fiction films, a strange force preventing you from driving your car, but for one Peterborough man it has become a reality.
IT sounds like the stuff of science fiction films, a strange force preventing you from driving your car, but for one Peterborough man it has become a reality.John Brown, of Heather Avenue, Dogsthorpe, has been unable to use the remote central locking system for his car, a Rover, when he parks it outside his house – despite there being nothing wrong with the car itself.
And the problem has also hit the cars of other drivers who have parked up near his house.
Mr Brown said: "It started last week, and I had no idea what was going on. At first I thought there was something wrong with my car, but then it started to happening to other cars in the street.
"I had checked all the fuses in my car, but I knew there was nothing wrong – the system was working when I drove round the corner.
"I have to park in my neighbour's drive, as although I can open the door with the key I can't turn the alarm off without using the remote control."
Do you have anything mysterious happening at your home?
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However, a week after the mystery started, Mr Brown appears to have got to the bottom of what was causing the strange phenomenon.
He said: "I thought I had tried everything, but then my friend said to phone the electricity board to see if it was anything to do with that.
"He said he had heard of something similar happening to do with a magnetic field.
"When I phoned the electric supplier they thought I was taking the mick, and I should contact a garage, but when I explained what was happening they said that it could be a magnetic field.
"However, it could take up to a month before they come and fix it."
Today a spokeswoman for EDF Energy, Mr Brown's electric supplier said that although it was possible for an electromagnetic field to cause the problem, it was a very rare occurrence.
She said: "EDF Energy Networks is aware of the problems described by one of our customers in Heather Avenue, Peterborough. An engineer has agreed to carry out a site visit, at the customer's request, to confirm the electromagnetic field readings at this address.
"It is worth noting that all properties have magnetic fields due to their wiring and electrical appliances, and for a normal house these are between 0.4 and 0.5 microtesla (the unit of measurement of magnetic fields).
"These readings can be greatly increased around individual appliances, such as microwaves, where magnetic readings can exceed 100 microtesla when in use."
External link:
Electromagnetic field - from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia says: "It affects the behaviour of charged objects in the vicinity of the field."
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