Cable theft causes more rail misery

The theft of railway cable brought travel misery to passengers in the Midlands for the second time in a week today.

British Transport Police appealed for witnesses to the two incidents in the Birmingham area.

Thieves first struck in the Park Hill Wood area at around 12.40am on Saturday, stealing 130ft (40m) of signalling cable, while 230ft (70m) of live cable was taken in Water Orton this morning.

Both thefts led to severe disruption and delays to services in the Birmingham area and beyond, causing major delays for thousands of rail passengers.

Detective Inspector Karolyn Miller said: "These two thefts have caused considerable disruption to passengers and the rail industry, with both incidents leading to a total of 115 trains being cancelled and nearly 2,000 minutes of delays to passengers.

"What thieves don't realise is that they can be working on live cable, carrying up to 25,000 volts, which can cause extensive burns.

"The act of stealing, or attempting to steal, cable is extremely dangerous and anyone who has any information or who saw any suspicious activity in the area, is asked to come forward."

PA