05 October 2007 09:08 Copper thefts continue to rise across East Midlands, according to Central Networks

Central Networks, the electricity distribution company for central England, has revealed that copper theft over the last two months has continued to rise, with incidents across the Midlands causing problems for thousands of customers and potentially putting lives at risk.

Earlier this year Central Networks joined forces with charity Crimestoppers to offer a reward of up to £1,000, for information leading to the successful prosecution and conviction of those responsible.

But, since then, the instance of the theft of the copper, which is an essential safety measure in the company's substations, has continued to rise, with nine major incidents in just two months.

Alan Raymant, Director of Operations and Asset Management at Central Networks, said: "These reckless criminals are smashing their way into our substations and breaking into our vital equipment with little regard for their own lives, for our engineers or for the huge inconvenience they're causing our customers.

"This is a national problem and, with over 97,000 substations across central England, it's a problem that we're taking very seriously.   

"We continue to work closely with the Police and we've put a number of security measures in place, including CCTV, to make life as difficult as possible for the thieves.

"But we'd also like our customers to act as our eyes and ears and we'd always encourage anyone who sees something suspicious going on at our substations to call the police immediately."

Individuals who wish to provide information about who is committing these crimes can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Incidents of recent substation vandalism include:

• September 24 - 24 customers lost supply after thieves recklessly cut through a live 11,000 volt cable in Blisworth, Northamptonshire.  A charred hacksaw was found on sight suggesting that whoever cut through the cable had suffered serious burns;
• September 13 - Thieves ripped out equipment from a substation in Clipstone, Nottinghamshire causing a temporary power cut for local customers;
• September 10 - Thieves broke into a substation on Church Lane in  central Lincoln and removed copper earthing tape from the site, resulting in a prolonged power cut for more than 400 local residents;
• September 3 - A substation in Northampton sustained serious damage after thieves attempted to steal copper from the site;
• August 38 - Criminals stripped copper earthing tape from a substation in Desborough, Northamptonshire, causing a brief power cut for local customers;
• August 27  - Police caught thieves while they were attempting to steal copper from a primary substation in Clowne, Derbyshire, narrowly managing to avert the loss of supplies for local customers;
• August 26 - Thieves caused a fire at a substation in Newark after tampering with equipment;
• August 21 - A young male became trapped after breaking into a substation in Melton Mowbray.  More than 3,300 customers were without power for 15 minutes while he was removed by emergency services;
• August 4 - Thieves broke into a substation in the Lincoln city centre and stripped copper earthing tape from the site, resulting in a power cut for 100 customers;

 

Ends

 

Notes to editors:

• Central Networks is the new name for Midlands Electricity and East Midlands Electricity. The company brings power to 4.9 million customers across the East and West Midlands through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables - enough to go round the Earth almost four times - and via almost 97,000 substations;
• Central Networks covers an area from the Peak District in the north to parts of Bristol in the south, and from the Welsh Borders to the Lincolnshire Coast;
• Crimestoppers is the only charity dedicated to solving crimes and taking criminals off the streets. Around 17 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers. One person is charged with murder every five days, as a result of information given to Crimestoppers;
• Crimestoppers also runs the Most Wanted website www.mostwanted-uk.org where people can give information about suspected criminals anonymously online;
• Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, it has had over 850,000 calls. There have been over 75,000 arrests, over £95m property has been recovered and over £130m worth of drugs has been seized.

 

For further information contact:

Jamee Majid on 024 7618 3679

A selection of Central Networks pictures is available free of charge to the media by registering at www.newscast.co.uk and looking under Distribution