Openreach, Crimestoppers and EMR to Tackle UK Copper Broadband Cable Theft

Network operator Openreach (BT) and existing charity partner Crimestoppers have today announced that they’ve joined forces with a global leader in metal recycling, EMR, to help combat the rising tide of copper telecoms cable theft on their national broadband and phone network. Total Metal Theft is said to have costed the UK economy £4.3bn in the past decade.

Crimes like this have become increasingly common in recent years, driven in part by the high price of copper and the rising cost of living. Such criminals have no regard for the disruption they cause, which often results in protracted service outages. Such disruption can be particularly serious for some vulnerable individuals (e.g. telecare users). This is to say nothing of the high costs involved with repairing such damage.

According to Openreach, since April 2024 more than 100,000 people across the UK have temporarily lost the use of their landline and/or broadband due to copper theft with 153km of cable stolen in that time – spanning almost the same distance as from London to Bristol.

However, the criminals are also coming under pressure from a rise in the number of arrests (examples here and here), which are often followed by some convictions (example). Openreach also reported a 30% reduction in cable theft during 2023/24 after introducing a new forensic liquid marker (SelectaDNA) to help track and protect their network (here), although it doesn’t cover older cables that are already in the ground.

The new partnership with EMR aims to give that effort a further boost, not least by jointly urging the public to help stop metal theft. The appeal follows a series of incidents that have caused widespread disruption, including those listed below just this year:

Recent Cable Theft Incidents

January 2026 – Moulton Chapel, Lincolnshire: 2,500 premises hit by a major cable theft, with residents left unable to contact hospitals to check appointments and one business owner describing it as “going back to the dark ages”.

May 2026 – Birmingham: Three men jailed after stealing cables which cut off phone and broadband services for c.5,000 people.

May 2026 – Wateringbury, Kent: A member of the public called police when three vehicles were used to remove cables from fields, impacting landlines for vulnerable customers in the local village. Repairs are ongoing.

As a metal recycler, EMR’s job is usually to recover, process and recycle metals through its nationwide network of 60 UK sites (yards) and specialist cable recycling facilities. Metal thieves naturally need places to sell what they’ve stolen and so getting EMR more directly involved has a greater significance than it may appear.

In practical terms, EMR said they’ll also be installing signage across all UK sites and reinforcing their policy to refuse any material suspected of being stolen. Through responsible recycling practices and transparent material traceability, EMR said they continue to support higher standards across the sector while helping keep critical materials in the right hands.

Andy Shepherd, Director of Resilience and Integrity at Openreach, said:

“It’s really disappointing that communities across the UK are paying the price for this criminal behaviour. Cable theft causes serious damage, unacceptable disruption to communities and can put vulnerable people at risk.

We’re working closely with partners and using proactive security measures to reduce the impact of this criminal activity, but we also need the public’s help. If you see anything suspicious, please call 101 or contact Crimestoppers completely anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Bruce Miller, Commercial Director at EMR, said:

“Copper is now recognised as a critical material, with demand continuing to grow as industries invest in new networks, infrastructure and low-carbon technologies. That makes responsible recycling more important than ever.

At EMR, we play a vital role in recovering and recycling the materials needed for the future, while helping ensure they remain in legitimate circulation. Metal theft causes significant harm — disrupting communities, damaging essential infrastructure and putting public safety at risk.

As one of the UK’s largest metal recyclers, we work closely with law enforcement and partners including Openreach and Crimestoppers to prevent stolen material entering the supply chain. By working together, we can help protect critical infrastructure, support local communities and ensure valuable resources are recycled responsibly.”

As we’ve said before, the ongoing deployment of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband lines should, eventually, resolve the core problem as fibre has no value to thieves. But this won’t happen for a while because fibre and copper cables often share some of the same ducts (i.e. damaging one also damages the other), and thieves sometimes confuse the two. Completely removing core copper cables will take a fair few years.

Finally, Openreach has a partnership with Crimestoppers, which sometimes offers rewards for information given anonymously to the charity about cable thefts, if it leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible – you can contact them 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or use their anonymous online form.

You can also contact Openreach’s security team direct or report via the local police (101). But if you see a crime in progress, please call the police on 999.