Two Yorkshire and the Humber Villages Struck by 5 BT Copper Thefts

Copper cable thieves cut-off broadband and phone services to around 100 premises in the small villages of West Butterwick and Althorpe (North Lincolnshire, England) after they struck the area for the fifth consecutive time in the space of just two years.

According to the South Yorkshire Times, around 300 metres worth of BT’s prized copper telecoms cable was stolen and as a result some homes were unable to get back online for between four and five days. A prior theft that occurred earlier this year, in the same general area, affected a similar number of people and involved the loss of 1,400 metres of cable.

The latest theft took place on Derrythorpe Road in Althorpe during the early hours of Friday 7th October 2013 and police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward (Crime Number: 2002220 – Call Humberside Police: 101 [local]).

A BT Spokeswoman said:

“This is an area which has suffered at the hands of cable thieves on several occasions now. I would appeal to the local community to be extra vigilant and report any suspicious activity in or around the BT network to the police so we can catch those responsible.

We are also offering rewards for information leading to conviction in conjunction with Crimestoppers.”

Overall a total of 23 cable thefts have so far taken place in the wider DN17 postcode area since late 2011 and the matter is being investigated by the specialist Metal Theft Taskforce, which is supported by the new Scrap Metal Dealers Act (2012-13) that introduced new rules to tackle rogue scrap metal traders.