A man died after a trailer connected to the tractor he was driving made contact with an 11,000 volt electricity cable.

The man, whose age is unknown, was working in a field in Terrington St Clement, near King’s Lynn, when incident happened at around 10am yesterday morning.

Emergency services and an air ambulance raced to the scene and the man was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn but died a short time later.

A police spokesman said: “A joint investigation by Norfolk Constabulary and the Health and Safety Executive will now take place to establish the exact circumstances surrounding this incident and to establish the cause of death.”

As a result of the incident, 193 homes in the area lost power but engineers from EDF Energy restored power to 161 houses by 10.41am.

Margaret Hand, who lives close to where the incident happened, said: “The first I knew something had happened was when I tried to start hoovering and nothing happened.

“It was very quiet here and then all of a sudden I heard lots of sirens and I went outside to see what was going on.

“I saw people jumping out of their cars and running into the field. I don’t think I have ever seen so much activity on this road.

“A lot of residents came out of their homes and we were all wondering what had happened. The air ambulance then landed in the field and even more police cars arrived.”

She added: “It’s very sad but these sort of accidents do happen.”

Three of the deceased’s colleagues stood visibly shaken as they watched officers carry out their investigation in the field. One said: “We are all shocked.”

An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said the man had a heart attack and was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital.

A spokesman for Norfolk fire and rescue service said two fire engines were sent to the scene after the trailer came into contact with the “11,000 volt” cable.

EDF Energy has also issued a warning following the incident. A spokesman said: ““We would urge all members of the public operating any object at height to be aware of their surroundings.

“If there are any high voltage overhead power lines in the vicinity, they should make sure they stay well clear for their own safety.”