Cable theft costs us more than £19m each year. The total cost to the country, taking into account the impact of freight delays to power stations, supermarkets etc and on passengers, is far higher.
The theft of metal from the rail network is a growing problem. Thieves are targeting signalling cables, overhead power lines and even metal fences to sell for scrap.
Britain's rail network is designed to fail safe, which means that when a cable is cut trains are brought to a stop. This protects passengers but can lead to lengthy, frustrating delays while the problem is found and fixed safely.
A large proportion of our funding comes from public money, so these thefts are, ultimately, costing taxpayers.
What we’re doing to prevent cable theft
We have done a huge amount of work to tackle cable theft including:
- Funding extra, dedicated British Transport Police officers around the country
- Using CCTV to alert us that people are on the network and to support the police
- Trialling methods of securing cables
- Using forensic marking agents
- Introducing cables which are harder to steal and easier to identify
- Setting up dedicated security teams
How you can help
The majority of metal recycling businesses operate within the law, but we firmly believe the current legislation is outdated and a change in the law is essential to reduce the illegal market in scrap metal.
You can support the call for changes to the law by signing the online petition at Directgov:
You can help by reporting suspicious behaviour on the tracks to the British Transport Police:
- 0800 40 50 40
- In an emergency call 999
We want your ideas for tackling cable theft and have outlined our main challenges and priorities: