Cable / copper / metal theft - ongoing problems on the railways and elsewhere

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Thieves risk lives for railway cables, transport police says

Thieves are risking their lives to steal rail cables which have little value and cause massive disruption, British Transport Police has said.

Fourteen metal theft incidents caused 10,000 minutes of delays on the Wales and Borders line in 2017.

One incident in south Wales amounted to nearly half of that time, affecting 387 services.

Network Rail boss Bill Kelly said it was not a "victimless crime" given the disruption caused to travellers.

When live cables are cut, it can cause a power failure on the network, turning all signals powered by the damaged cable to red and bringing trains to a standstill.

Sgt Ben Randall-Webb from British Transport Police said: "Cable theft not only results in significant delays and cancellations right across the rail network, but any attempt to steal cable is also incredibly dangerous, and anyone seeking to do so risks serious injury, or even death, through electrocution.

"Offences linked to theft of metal on the railway can attract a penalty of up to life imprisonment, so the implications are severe.  However, the irony is that railway cable has no real value outside the railway industry, yet the cost to replace it is extremely high.  In fact, thieves will struggle to get any money at all, as scrap metal dealers are highly unlikely to accept any cable."

Mr Kelly, chief operating officer for Network Rail in Wales and Borders, said: "With more passengers travelling on our network than ever before, even a small delay can have a huge impact on the network."

[broadgage]

Too much emphasis on the danger faced by the thieves, IMO^▸ (in my opinion).
I do not much care about the welfare of such thieves, they certainly wont do it again if killed.

I am of course very sorry for railway employees and the emergency services who have to deal with the gruesome aftermath of blown up or run over thieves, but for the thieves themselves, tough.

This not just a railway problem, a growing cause of power cuts is theft of cables. Sometimes the thieves break into substations and steal the neutral or earthing conductors, with disastrous results.

This video shows one such incidenthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgWAenS9kzc

[Bmblbzzz]

Presumably the risk to thieves is emphasised in an attempt at deterrence.

[Electric train]

Too much emphasis on the danger faced by the thieves, IMO^▸ (in my opinion).
I do not much care about the welfare of such thieves, they certainly wont do it again if killed.

Dealing with the restoration of a traction substation the mess left of metal thieves is bad enough to deal with that pales into insignificance compared with the aftermath of when one of then gets kill I have been involved in a site where there was a death quite frankly its gruesome.   

I am more than happy that publicity is give to the fact they risk their lives because even the worst of them care for their own life the quite frankly don't give a jot about people being late for work, indeed some get a buzz out of knowing that fact.

[johnneyw]

Too much emphasis on the danger faced by the thieves, IMO^▸ (in my opinion).
I do not much care about the welfare of such thieves, they certainly wont do it again if killed.

I am of course very sorry for railway employees and the emergency services who have to deal with the gruesome aftermath of blown up or run over thieves, but for the thieves themselves, tough.

This not just a railway problem, a growing cause of power cuts is theft of cables. Sometimes the thieves break into substations and steal the neutral or earthing conductors, with disastrous results.

This video shows one such incidenthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgWAenS9kzc

Blinkin' flip!

[TonyK]

Crikey! And the day after he had had the windows cleaned, too.

[stuving]

You'll have spotted that that event wasn't recent. 2011 was when the copper price peaked at £6/kg, having been only £1/kg in 2000. As the Chinese demand dropped since then, the price fell to £3/kg, but is now almost back up to its peak. So expect copper theft to recrudesce as well. Note that the scrap price is quoted at around half the bulk price above, but I'll bet it's less if you look like a small-time crook.

[broadgage]

As pointed out, the incident to which I linked was some years ago. Many other fires and blow ups have resulted from copper theft, but that episode is one of the few of which decent quality video exists.

And yes the copper price has increased a great deal recently, so I expect more thefts from the railway and elsewhere.

[RA]

The signalling system between Filton and Bristol Temple Meads has been affected since approximately 21:30 on Monday. Cause now confirmed as cable theft between Narroways Hill Junction and Filton Abbey Wood. Expect disruption on Tuesday morning.

[Electric train]

You'll have spotted that that event wasn't recent. 2011 was when the copper price peaked at £6/kg, having been only £1/kg in 2000. As the Chinese demand dropped since then, the price fell to £3/kg, but is now almost back up to its peak. So expect copper theft to recrudesce as well. Note that the scrap price is quoted at around half the bulk price above, but I'll bet it's less if you look like a small-time crook.

Copper thefts on the network have been on the increase over the last 3 to 4 months, mainly at a couple of hot spots around the country.

The removal of cash payment at dealers has helped, but there is now an increase in "Fagin" type dealers who take launder the raw nicked material, pay sweat labour to strip and clean they then process it through a "legit" dealers as bright metal

[grahame]

The signalling system between Filton and Bristol Temple Meads has been affected since approximately 21:30 on Monday. Cause now confirmed as cable theft between Narroways Hill Junction and Filton Abbey Wood. Expect disruption on Tuesday morning.

Ironic after we were discussing it yesterday evening ...

[johnneyw]

From the Bristol Evening Post,

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-train-passengers-urged-not-1031699

[Timmer]

I thought we had seen the back of this problem...clearly not!

A lot of chaos and disruption having been caused to many people's journey today and still continuing.

[TonyK]

I thought we had seen the back of this problem...clearly not!

A lot of chaos and disruption having been caused to many people's journey today and still continuing.

The fourth event in the current financial year, according to the report on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Points West lunchtime news. A test train is apparently on the way as we speak, and services should be restored very soon. Apparently, sourcing road transport proved difficult because of the timing.

And all this on a day when more people than usual will be taking trains from Bristol to Manchester. I hope any early departing fans have been able to go via Swindon. Trains from Manchester have been terminating at Birmingham New Street.

Edinburgh to Plymouth has just passed Cam and Dursly, so someone is expecting a resumption.

[Timmer]

Yes it was the main story on Points West tonight. After a sharp decline thanks to law changes and the value of copper, it’s on the up again which is very concerning for everyone involved with the railway, especially the long suffering rail travelling public.