UK: Bungling cable crooks cause chaos for commuters

[John Ashworth]

Bungling cable crooks cause chaos for commuters

Published: 20/12/2011 14:20 - Updated: 20/12/2011 14:29
Herts and Essex Observer
By James Burton

HAPLESS cable thieves got an electric shock when they tried to steal copper wiring from the Observer area's railway lines today (Tuesday, December 20).

The criminals struck near London's Northumberland Park, which is on the line that links Uttlesford, Bishop's Stortford and Sawbridgeworth with Liverpool Street and Stratford, early this morning.

Track owner Network Rail found a power cable cut out of its troughing and partially severed with a hacksaw, but a spokeswoman said the would-be thief "must have got a shock - quite literally - and scarpered."

She added: "We believe that the only way to significantly reduce metal crime is to take away the illegal market and that more robust legislation and police powers are needed to achieve that."

The attempted theft put signalling out of service for several hours, forcing commuter services between London and Cambridge to be cancelled and several Stansted Express trains to be delayed.

This morning's 6.54am, 7.17am, 7.24am, 7.40am, 7.54am, 7.58am, 8.24am, 9.39am and 10.09am from Stortford to London were called off, while the 6.03am did not stop as scheduled. The 6.29am, 6.41am, 6.47am, 8.09am and 8.20am were delayed by up to 26 minutes, as were the 8.14am, 9.17am and 9.39am to Cambridge and the 9.21am to Stansted Airport.

It is the second cable theft to hit the network since Sunday, when crooks made off with telecoms cable supplying CCTV cameras at level crossings in Brimsdown, Enfield Lock and Windmill Lane.