Railway copper thieves cause havoc for commuters

Train passengers were subjected to 240,000 minutes of delays because of copper thefts last year.

Demand for the metal has soared and there has been a near-fivefold rise in robberies at tracks and depots.

The thefts are being driven by the insatiable demand for the industrial material in China and India.

Andy Trotter, deputy chief constable of the British Transport police told The Guardian: "It is a growing problem.

"You have only got to look at the rising copper price on the metal market and the theft of copper matches that rise almost absolutely.

"Unfortunately, the impact on the infrastructure is beginning to bite."

Copper theft is a major problem in north-east England, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the delays related to metal thieves in the UK and wreaking havoc with the Northern Trains franchise.

Mr Trotter added: "The north-east has a tradition of heavy industry and of people who know how to deal with copper and metals.

"There are also lots of people who know how to trade in it."

He went on: "The copper is going through larger scrapyards, then to smelters and then by ship to China, which has an incredible demand for copper, particularly with the Beijing Olympics coming and the demand for telecoms infrastructure."

The global price of copper has risen above £4,000 a tonne this year. Such is the demand for the metal that 2p pieces are more valuable if they are melted down for their copper.

The British Transport police have launched Operation Drum to crack down on cable theft and are liaising with Network Rail to ensure that copper is not left unguarded at the side of tracks and is not stored in easily accessible parts of depots.

Police have blamed copper thieves for the demolition of a bungalow in Bradford.

The house, which was unoccupied, exploded after copper gas pipes on the outer walls were fractured, apparently by someone trying to rip them out.