A DOG owner has told how her pet went into violent convulsions after she was electrocuted on a wet road live with electricity from a damaged cable.

Ruth Prosser's chocolate labrador Cookie started convulsing violently while walking through a puddle at the corner of High Street and Seymer Road, Swanage, during the recent storms.

The horrified 39-year-old thought her pet was suffering a fit, until someone ran out from a neighbouring house to say he'd seen other dogs collapse on the same spot.

She said: "She was convulsing on the pavement. I actually thought she was dead. A few people stopped to help me and we were all getting electric shocks every time we touched her. It was really traumatic."

She added: "It could have been a child falling over or someone with a pacemaker - who knows what could have happened."

Police closed the road, which had been resurfaced days before, at around 10am and Southern and Scottish Power was called to the scene. Its staff located the source, a damaged cable, just after 2pm and the power was finally turned off.

Sharon Miller McKenzie, a spokesman for Scottish and Southern energy, said the cable had been lying closer to the surface than usual as a result of "significant ground movement" by previous roadworks, and as a result had been damaged during the resurfacing work.

When it came into contact with water during heavy weather it gave a "low charge" to the surface water.

She added: "This is a unique set of circumstances and I would like to reassure people that it wouldn't have the same affect on humans."

She said the cable had since been repaired and restored to the proper position.

Ruth, of York Terrace, Swanage, said: "The vet said Cookie was a very lucky dog. She seems to be okay now, but I'm taking her to the vet again to have her heart checked.

"I just want to thank everyone who stopped and helped me."