Cable thefts causing rail chaos

FOUR men have been arrested by British Transport Police in Warrington following two separate metal and cable theft incidents, which are on the increase and causing railway chaos.
Two men were arrested On May 3, just after 9pm, following reports that people had been seen trying to steal metal from the railway near to Alder Root Lane, Winwick.
Officers from BTP and Cheshire Police attended and arrested one man at the scene. A second man was arrested later that night at his home address.
They have since been charged with theft and trespass and will be appearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 24 May 24.
Cheshire Police received reports of two men attempting to steal metal from the railway at Dallam, Warrington shortly after 7pm on April 26.
Officers from BTP and Cheshire Police attended and arrested two men at the scene.
They have since been interviewed and bailed pending further enquiries.
The arrests represent success for BTP and Network Rail who have noted a rise in cable and metal thefts during the past few weeks.
In response to this, officers and Network Rail staff have stepped up railway patrols and will be actively visiting known hotspots.
Detective Inspector Andrea Rainey, of BTP’s Proactive Unit, said: “Cable theft is a major issue for the railway and there is no doubt that we have seen a rise in this type of crime in recent weeks.
“We have officers dedicated to cable theft and are committed to tackling this crime which has a major impact on the railway.
“BTP works very closely with Network Rail to limit opportunities for thieves and, with the use of up-to-date forensic techniques, will take action against those who persist in committing offences.”
Network Rail route director Jo Kaye added: “Over the past 12 months there have been more than 65 cable theft incidents across Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire, which have resulted in 615 trains being cancelled. Other services were delayed by a total of 47,500 minutes. That is hugely frustrating and inconvenient for passengers, whose lives have been disrupted by the thefts.
“We had to pay the train operators around £1m in compensation and the actual cost of repairs is a similar amount – that’s £2m effectively lost, that would have been better spent on improving the railway.”