I have seen where road works broke the neutral with TN-C-S, the problem in that case is anything which has a true earth will carry the neutral current, the damage was burnt earth wires, and in extremes it can rupture the gas pipe which then has a follow on result. However looking at the picture.
major burning seems to be the meter, so it looks far more like a faulty thread in the meter connections has resulted in the torque wrench showing correct torque, but the cables were not tight. The problem is once heated up likely the faulty thread has likely cured its self, and it looks as if the meter fitter did not tighten the screws fully.
I am sure thieves stock did steel the copper, what is in question was that the result, or was it a handy stock image?
With PME the M stands for multiple, and where multiple earth rods are used it is reasonable safe, TN-C-S means TN terraferma neutral combined then separated it does not mean there are multiple earth rods. When water and gas came in as metal to every house in practice those pipes were the earth electrodes even if we called it bonding, and with every house having these the fault current if the neutral is lost is not that high.
Where the problem lies is where one odd house has something bonded which will act as a good earth but other houses from the same transformer have little or nothing, now 500 amp can be directed to the one good earth, I have seen the results, a line of copper goblets laid down the path where the earth wire had been. Most would not have 4 earth rods one each corner of garden and earth tape buried 18 inches deep connecting them, only a radio ham is likely to go to those lengths. I could not measure as I could not get access far enough away to put in test spikes. But likely under one ohm.
Losing the neutral does mean 400 volt instead of 230 volt, but equipment should be designed to fail safe, there should be no fire resulting from the over voltage, fuses may blow, printed circuits may fry, but it should not cause a fire.
Only wires which should over heat are earth wires. Although if every house fitted an earth rod bonded to the installation earth it would likely cure the problem, it would have to be every house, not a random one or two, only way to ensure all rods are fitted together is for the DNO to fit them, in other words provide a PME supply not just a TN-C-S.
So come on lads, does that really look like lost neutral damage, or a faulty meter damage?
As a p.s. in the motor trade they also had problems using a torque wrench, the answer was torque to a low figure, check it is tight, then move the nut or bolt a set amount of degrees extra, this stopped the problem.
