A reward for up to £1,000 is on offer for information leading to a conviction, after cable theft caused 13 trains to be cancelled on a Friday evening leading to misery for thousands of weekend travellers. Some 42 trains were affected in total causing nearly 20 hours of delays (1196 minutes).
The incident took place around 9pm on 11 March, when the cable was cut and stolen from the railway line close to Stockton Road, Middlesbrough.
Inspector Mick Jackson of British Transport Police’s dedicated cable team, Operation Leopard, said: “This theft of cable from the railway line caused significant delays to services in the area, understandably causing frustration and anger for passengers. The Teesside area has been a hotspot in terms of cable theft for quite some time now and our officers are determined to crack down on this type of crime.”
Three men were arrested the next day (Saturday, 12 March) following a separate incident of cable theft from the line close to Haughton Road, Darlington.
A 45-year-old man and a 13-year-old youth from Darlington were arrested at the scene by police and have been bailed until Friday, 29 April pending further police enquiries.
Insp Jackson added: “The act of stealing cable is an extremely dangerous crime which is costly to the rail industry and to the thousands of passengers who rely on the rail network.
“As part of our efforts to trace those responsible for cable theft we visit scrap yards in the area as most cable thieves look for the quickest way to sell on the stolen goods – scrap yards are one such method.
“We work closely with scrap yard owners to monitor any cable which is brought in and, with assistance from railway and telecoms experts, can quickly identify stolen cable.
“Technological and forensic advances are making life more and more difficult for cable thieves and are increasing the opportunities for BTP to detect criminals.”
Richard Lungmuss, route director for Network Rail, said: “These thieves are attacking the essential infrastructure upon which we all rely. They are causing misery to thousands of passengers and freight users and costing the industry, and the wider economy, tens of millions a year – and rising. This is an unacceptable crime which is a serious attack on the economy.
"We are doing everything we can to deter such thefts and protect our vital railway. Working in partnership with the police, more and more culprits and scrap metal dealers are being caught, and we’re pushing hard to make sure they face the toughest possible sentences.
“I would also ask anyone with any information to report their suspicions to Crimestoppers – they could receive up to £1,000 reward.”
