An attempted cable theft from train track in the Farnborough area on Thursday, June 9 led to such long commuter rail delays that it made the front page of the next dayโs London Evening Standard.
British Transport Police (BTP) want to hear from anyone with information about the incident at a substation in Farnborough, which resulted in over 9,000 minutes of delays and compounded existing problems on the network.
Superintendent Andrew Ball said: โAt present itโs unclear exactly how much damage was caused, but what we do know is that this incident compounded delays elsewhere and resulted in disruption to a large number of services.
โWeโve launched an investigation to determine the full circumstances and are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to contact us.
โTheft of metal and copper cable impacts on many industries and communities but those who steal, and in this case try to steal, simply do not care who their behaviour affects.
โAs shown by this incident, the theft of railway cable can result in lengthy delays and cancellations to rail services, whilst elsewhere the theft of other items such as residential earthing cable or communications cable can have a serious impact on peopleโs homes and businesses.
โThe act of stealing, or attempting to steal, cable is extremely dangerous. What the thieves donโt realise is that they are working on live cable, carrying high voltages, which can cause extensive burns. By attempting to steal it they are putting their lives at risk.โ
On the same day in a separate incident fire caused significant damage to a railway bridge in Tinsley, Sheffield, on June 9.
BTP received reports of a fire at Tinsley Viaduct Junction, off Wharf Lane and Sheffield road. Officers attended and discovered that in an attempted theft, railway cable on the bridge had been set alight, the fire then spread to wooden sleepers on the bridge.
The line was closed for over two hours while the fire was brought under control by South Yorkshire Fire Service and the bridge deemed safe by Network Rail. As a result three trains were delayed for a total of 41 minutes.
DC Michael Kelly of British Transport Police said: โWe believe this was an attempt to steal cable which went wrong. We have launched an investigation into the incident, undertaken significant forensic analysis of the scene and are conducting enquiries in the area.โ
โA bridge was also set alight in the Doncaster area the night before, at this stage we are not linking the two incidents but we will be keeping an open mind as part of our investigation.โ
Network Rail, working in partnership with the charity Crimestoppers, is offering a reward of up to £1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any cable thieves.
