01.03.07
The price of copper
The high price of copper is believed to be behind an epidemic of cable thefts which are causing havoc in some parts of the country and costing rail companies millions of pounds.
And although copper prices are currently 40% below last year’s record levels, market analysts have forecast that demand for copper will increase fuelling higher prices.
British Transport Police reported almost 1,000 incidents of theft of signalling cable from warehouses or from along rail lines last year, a 50 percent increase on the previous year.
Thieves are ripping out the high voltage cabling which controls the communication system, the points and the signalling system. Each time an incident happens it causes big delays for thousands of passengers. Criminals are risking electrocution and going line-side where they are in danger of being killed by passing trains.
BTP say West and South Yorkshire have the most incidents of copper cable theft in the UK. To date, 140 arrests have been made with offenders charged with theft and with obstructing the railway, which carries a sentence ranging from two years to life in prison.
Parts of Yorkshire have been so badly hit that Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield, Denby Dale and Kirkburton, has called on Network Rail and the British Transport Police to take stronger action against the thieves who are causing chaos on the East Coast Mainline.
The demand comes after passenger services throughout West Yorkshire were thrown into disarray by the theft of trackside copper signalling cable in Fitzwilliam, West Yorkshire recently.
British Transport Police said about 100m of cable was taken from alongside the East Coast Main Line. Train services run by GNER, Virgin and Northern Rail were delayed and diverted because of subsequent signal failures.
Thousands of people were affected by the disrupted services, including a party of twenty Wakefield College politics students who were visiting Ms Creagh at the Houses of Parliament.
Ms Creagh has written to Network Rail and British Transport Police to demand better security and a concerted effort to identify the thieves responsible. “It’s time for the Transport Police and Network Rail to take strong action to prevent further theft and vandalism, said Ms Creagh. “It is completely unacceptable that the entire East Coast Main Line is thrown into chaos by these selfish criminals.
“A party of students from Wakefield College who came to visit me in Parliament were delayed by four hours. Thousands more had their plans ruined by train cancellations, and the cost of the disruptions to business must run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“The problem was caused by opportunist criminals, and they will do it again if they think they can get away with it. I’ve written to Network Rail to demand that they strengthen track side security. I’ve also asked the British Transport Police to take action against the dodgy scrap metal merchants who handle the stolen cable.”
It’s not just the railways which are the targets. Chief inspector Mark Mulcahy from Wakefield Division said: “Thieves are stealing copper cables from numerous sites across the district, including electricity sub-stations and telephone depots.
“What people aren’t aware of are the dangers involved. Stealing copper can be extremely dangerous and people doing so can sustain serious or even fatal injuries.
“Not only are they putting their lives at risk, they leave high voltage sites damaged so that anyone, especially children, wandering into an open site is also at risk.
“They can also disrupt power supplies to homes and businesses in the local area, which obviously causes a great deal of inconvenience.
In a separate incident, two men were jailed after miles of copper cable from Yorkshire's railway network was found in their back gardens.
Railway police found £150,000 worth of cable behind the house of 41-year-old Roy Fisher in Bentley, Doncaster.
Fisher and Richard Frank Lee, aged 34, have begun jail terms of 30 and 21 months respectively after appearing at Leeds Crown Court where they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods.
Cory Anthony McAvennie, 38, who also admitted the same offence, was sentenced to a 12-month suspended sentence and 200 hours of unpaid community service. The court heard the men had stolen more than two and a half miles of cable from the railway infrastructure.
In January last year, officers arrested and questioned Fisher by tracks near Sowgate Lane, Knottingley. He had a hacksaw and spare blades.
Officers then carried out house searches and a large amount of stripped cable was discovered in the rear garden and shed at Fisher's address. More cable was found in gardens along the same street and Lee and McAvennie were arrested.
Detective chief inspector Danny Snee said: "We are really pleased with the result and hope it sends out a strong message to others who may believe the theft of copper cable from the railways or other industry is not a crime that is taken seriously or which attracts strong penalties.
"Those who steal cable are not just risking a prison sentence, they are also risking their lives. This is an extremely dangerous crime which is extremely costly to the rail industry and disrupts the hundreds of thousands of passengers."
Dyan Crowther, route director for Network Rail, said: "Cable theft has become a serious issue for the railway and other industries and we are delighted the court has recognised the cost and disruption caused by these crimes."
In London, three men involved in the theft of copper cabling from a railway yard that resulted in a dramatic police chase were sentenced to 17 years imprisonment.
Aaron Joseph O’Brien, 24, Patrick O’Donoghue, 22 and Michael McMahon, 25, were sentenced after causing more than £5,000 in theft and damage stemming from the theft of cable drums at London Bridge on July 17 last year.
British Transport Police detective sergeant Paddy Kerr said the trio used a white Transit van to enter a railway siding area and posed as railway contractors to gain access.
“Police were alerted by rail staff who caught the trio on CCTV loading the van up with three cable drums. They were in and out within 10 minutes, with police tracking the van as it exited the station siding area.
“While police were in pursuit of the van, the doors to the van were flung open by two of the defendants and the cable drums were thrown from the moving van.
“One of the drums struck a passing car, causing £1,500 damage while other drums were thrown from the van narrowly missing police.
“It was very lucky that no one was seriously injured or worse.”
During the pursuit, which lasted 10 minutes, part of Tower Bridge was obstructed after lengths of cable were thrown from the van.
O’Brien, a scrap metal dealer, and O’Donoghue were each charged with theft of cable, causing danger to road users and aggravated criminal damage. O’Brien was gaoled for five years and O’Donoghue for seven.
McMahon, the driver of the van, was charged with theft of cable, causing danger to road users, dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance, and failing to stop at the scene of an accident. He received a five year sentence.
DS Kerr said: “The theft of cable is a serious offence in itself, given it can result in delays to planned engineering works and have potentially serious ramifications to the travelling public. However, this trio in attempting to avoid detection chose to endanger the safety and lives of others by opting for a very dangerous course of action on a public road
“It is pleasing that a prison term has been imposed today and will hopefully serve as a warning to others that this type of offence will not be tolerated.”
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