Finally

Our electrically powered, hydraulic front gates started tripping the fuses in late autumn whenever it rained. After a few hours, all was well. However the frequency & length of the cut out increased, to the point they didn't work at all.

It's a very old 1970s set up and when I looked at the innards, it was clear somebody had been stilling their hunger on the cables. Didn't look too complicated but  beyond my capabilities.  As always nowadays, it takes ages to get a craftsman and then it also has to be on a dry day as allowed gubbins is outdoors. 

Took quite a while to sort as the little monster had also got into the 5m pipe under the driveway in which the main cable lay (and where the water collected. There must have been at least 12 points at which various cables had been chewed down to bare wires. 

Now all sorted thankfully.