A £1,000 reward is being offered in a bid to catch thieves who are targetting electricity substations to steal copper wire. It follows two incidents last week in the Bridgnorth area – one of which left more than 4,000 homes and businesses without power for nearly three hours.
more
Power company Central Networks is now working closely with the charity Crimestoppers, which is offering a £1,000 reward for information leading to the successful prosecution and conviction of those responsible for these and other incidents.
“The reckless – and potentially deadly – actions of thieves targeting power lines and electricity substations have already led to two fatalities across the Midlands, as well as a number of serious injuries and more than 50,000 customers temporarily losing their electricity supply,” said the company’s customer operations manager, Phil Wilson.
“These people 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.
Thieves broke into a substation housing an 11,000 volt electrical feed in Bridgnorth in the early hours of last Thursday, vandalising, and stealing wiring from, the equipment.
A large chunk of Bridgnorth was affected and the High Street emptied as shops and banks shut their doors. Other areas affected included Morville, Worfield, Badger, Rudge, Roughton, Hilton and Stanmore. Oil was spilled over the floor of the substation, making it ever more dangerous for the engineers called in to restore power.
In a similar incident the previous day, a substation in the Faraday Drive area was vandalised and similar damage was caused.
“We’d 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,” Mr Wilson said.
Individuals who wish to provide information about who is committing these crimes can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or West MerciaPolice on 08457 444 888.