No smoking while you steal the heat: Chinese villagers carry giant balloons of stolen natural gas to fuel their homes
If you thought heating your home during winter was tough, spare a moment for these villagers in China's Shandong Province.
They have been risking life and limb in the pursuit of warmth by carrying giant balloons full of natural gas from a nearby oil field back to their homes.
Too poor to afford the resource on the grid, they siphon their gas from an oil facility in Binzhou, where they connect their balloons to a canister near the extraction machinery.
Risking death: A woman carries a five-metre long balloon full of natural gas which she siphoned from an oil plant in China's Shandong Province in order to heat her home
They then tentatively edge back with a potential bomb in their hands, being careful not to get too near any naked flames, of course. Some balloons can grow to six metres long and a metre wide.
It is not clear whether they are stealing the gas, although it is highly unlikely they are being allowed to do it.
Share this article
Workers at the oil field have been trying to warn them of the obvious dangers, but to no avail.
One member of staff said: 'We warned them that it is like a hidden bomb at home, but they wouldn't listen'.
According to people in the area, the gas lasts for around five days, it was reported on Gizmodo.
One said: 'It's very convenient and quite safe. All villagers in this region are doing the same.'
There have not yet been any reports of the balloons exploding, but one elderly was lifted in the air when the wind got hold of it.
Dangerous: The villagers are too poor to afford gas, so take these potentially lethal measures instead
Most watched News videos
- Shocking moment woman is abducted by man in Oregon
- British Army reveals why Household Cavalry horses escaped
- Moment escaped Household Cavalry horses rampage through London
- New AI-based Putin biopic shows the president soiling his nappy
- Prison Break fail! Moment prisoners escape prison and are arrested
- Ammanford school 'stabbing': Police and ambulance on scene
- Wills' rockstar reception! Prince of Wales greeted with huge cheers
- Shadow Transport Secretary: Labour 'can't promise' lower train fares
- All the moments King's Guard horses haven't kept their composure
- Columbia protester calls Jewish donor 'a f***ing Nazi'
- Helicopters collide in Malaysia in shocking scenes killing ten
- Shocking moment pandas attack zookeeper in front of onlookers
