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Wednesday 30 Jan 2008

RAIL INDUSTRY APPEALS FOR CABLE THEFT INFORMATION

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The hunt is on for cable thieves who disrupted hundreds of rail passengers by stealing cables from the railway at Ardsley, between Leeds and Wakefield.

Around 50metres of cable was stolen around 6pm last night (29 January 2008) which disrupted services for around four hours while engineers worked to replace it.

Network Rail, in partnership with the charity Crimestoppers, is already offering a reward of up to £1,000 to people who help to catch cable thieves in Wakefield.

Dyan Crowther, Route Director for Network Rail, said: "The selfish and dangerous actions of these thieves have, once again, resulted in major disruption to passengers. We're also estimating it will have cost around £26,000. We are doing all we can to stop these thefts but we need the support of the community to be our eyes and ears on the ground.

"I would ask anyone who sees people acting suspiciously near the tracks to report it immediately - and anonymously - to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

Detective Chief Inspector Danny Snee of British Transport Police added: "After the threat of terrorism, the theft of cable is one of BTP’s biggest challenges. Those who steal cable are not just risking a prison sentence, they are risking their lives.

"BTP have dedicated cable squads that undertake regular operations including round the clock patrols targeted at hotspot crime areas in Wakefield. Those involved can expect us to use every means to target them. We are working hard to catch and prosecute culprits in an attempt to eradicate this problem."

Malcolm Brown, Area Director, Northern Rail said: “Cable theft is one of the single biggest cause of delay to our services at the moment resulting in disruption and inconvenience to thousands of customers. We welcome any information anyone can give to help catch the offenders and help eliminate this problem.”

Andy Cooper, Managing Director for CrossCountry, said: "The disruption and delay to passengers caused by these criminal actions is unacceptable. Our staff remain vigilant and will do everything possible to assist the BTP in bringing to justice those responsible for vandalism and theft on Britain's rail network."

David Franks, Managing Director, National Express East Coast said: "We fully support Network Rail and Crimestoppers in their efforts to tackle cable thefts on the railway. Not only are the thieves risking their own lives, but a single incident like this can cause disruption for thousands of passengers along the East Coast Main Line