Cable theft: Not very common these days?

[trainophile]

At Man Picc today (around 1400) I noticed that a train to Hull, and another one to Liverpool Lime Street, were showing Cancelled. RTT revealed that the reason was cable theft.

Hardly ever hear about this nowadays. Seems the thieves want some extra money for Christmas :roll: .

 

[DarloRich]

it has only been reduced through hard work and inter agency cooperation.

 

[ainsworth74]

Yes a number of measures that were instituted about three/four years ago do seem to have had quite a significant impact when it comes to reducing cable theft. I believe one of the main one is tightening things up at scrap yards (no more cash in hand payments and harsher penalties of a scrappy is found with signalling cable).

I also think Network Rail, BTP, TOC and others have got much better at combating it track side as well (and working together to do it).

 

[Alan White]

I'm reminded of the time thirty years or so ago when I worked for a major telecommunications company. We had a break in several 565Mb/s optical fibre cables (the cutting edge technology at the time) at Bescot. It transpired that they'd obviously been cut with the intention of doing the same further along and stealing the cut section. No doubt the thieves weren't amused when their first cut wasn't into the cable they thought it was .

 

[najaB]

No doubt the thieves weren't amused when their first cut wasn't into the cable they thought it was .

It still happens.

 

[dk1]

Good work from BTP helped by the falling price of metal.

 

[Adam0984]

It wasn't cable theft at Huddersfield today. Track workers cut through the cable

 

[47271]

There's been more than enough disruption caused in Scotland by this in the past couple of months - two incidents in the Falkirk area alone in late September and early October.

I think that the rules around cash payments for scrap are still more lax in Scotland, I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

 

[causton]

It wasn't cable theft at Huddersfield today. Track workers cut through the cable

Similar thing betwen Tring and Berkhamsted today, reported as a "cut cable" which implies it is not cable theft but probably done overnight during some works!

 

[wastedlife]

Good work from BTP helped by the falling price of metal.

This. Copper has fallen from about $10,000 a ton in 2011 to $5,000 a ton today, including a fall from almost 30% $7,000 to $5,000 in the last 12 months. Just ain't worth it no more.

 

[miami]

it has only been reduced through hard work and inter agency cooperation.

Copper prices have dropped 30% in the last couple of years
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I'm reminded of the time thirty years or so ago when I worked for a major telecommunications company. We had a break in several 565Mb/s optical fibre cables (the cutting edge technology at the time) at Bescot. It transpired that they'd obviously been cut with the intention of doing the same further along and stealing the cut section. No doubt the thieves weren't amused when their first cut wasn't into the cable they thought it was .

Used to have lots of problems in Nairobi as the fibres to the coast were cut. Not just once, but the same cable was dug up every few hundred yards. Now there are more and more fibres and less and less cutting (due to the thieves twigging that fibre isn't very valuable, and doesn't magically change into copper) it's not as big a problem.

 

[dk1]

This. Copper has fallen from about $10,000 a ton in 2011 to $5,000 a ton today, including a fall from almost 30% $7,000 to $5,000 in the last 12 months. Just ain't worth it no more.

Every cloud & all that.

 

[thenorthern]

Smartwater has been very useful in cutting cable theft from what I have heard. British Transport Police as well as territorial police forces working with scrap dealers to ensure that metal that is obviously stolen isn't bought has reduced cable theft quite a bit as well.

 

[Mugby]

It may be slightly less common but it's not been eradicated by a long way.

The problem is, it's always been an open invitation, miles of it just lying there on the cess, in full public view.

 

[DarloRich]

Copper prices have dropped 30% in the last couple of years

Indeed - i missed that point from my post.

 

[trainophile]

It may be slightly less common but it's not been eradicated by a long way.

The problem is, it's always been an open invitation, miles of it just lying there on the cess, in full public view.

Didn't they start "boxing it in", in concrete tubing? Used to see pallets of hollow concrete blocks at the sides of the lines, and deduced that that's what they were for. Might be totally wrong though, it's been known!

 

[furnessvale]

Didn't they start "boxing it in", in concrete tubing? Used to see pallets of hollow concrete blocks at the sides of the lines, and deduced that that's what they were for. Might be totally wrong though, it's been known!

In difficult areas the whole cable trough is filled with concrete, or at least enough to cover the cables, after cable installation.