Metal thieves target home phone lines

THOUSANDS of homes face losing phone lines after cable thieves struck.

Police were alerted today at 9.30am to the theft of high-value cables near Cambourne.

Officers believe that thousands of homes could lose lines and have asked residents to look out for the elderly and vulnerable who may be in trouble without access to the emergency services.

A mobile police station has been sent to the area and high-profile police patrols have been mounted in a bid to reassure residents.

BT engineers are working on restoring the lines but it is not known how long this will take.

DS Chris Balmer said: "We do not yet know the exact number of homes which have been left without phone lines however we believe it could be a few thousand.

"BT are working as quickly as possible to restore the phone lines.

"If you area aware of any elderly or vulnerable residents please check on their welfare. If anyone saw any suspicious activity around manhole covers please contact me."

Scrap metal thieves who rip up telephone cables were warned by police they are putting lives at risk.

And a top judge said they could face manslaughter charges, as the News reported last week.

The warnings come after more than 7,000 Cambridgeshire residents have had their phones cut off in a spate of copper cable thefts since November.

Hundreds of homes in Fen Drayton lost phone lines after thieves stole underground cable and in Longstanton, 1,600 homes and businesses were cut off by cable thieves.

Homes between Great Staughton and Kimbolton were also hit when cable was stolen.

Nicky Padfield, a senior lecturer at Cambridge University's law faculty and a part-time Cambridge Crown Court judge, says thieves could be guilty of manslaughter if someone died because of the thefts.

The latest thievery in Cambourne comes days after police launched a new crackdown following the theft of 150 commemorative bronze plaques from Cambridge Crematorium over the weekend.

Det Insp Gipp, whose grandmother was laid to rest at the crematorium, is heading up the task force.
He said: "These crimes are the lowest of the low. The theft of phone cable has affected so many people. Residents who cannot use the phone to call 999 are put at risk because of these thefts."

Det Insp Gipp suspects the thefts are the work of organised crime cashing in on the high value of copper which has rocketed to £4,000 a tonne.




If you have information, call police on 0845 4564564, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.