Officers from British Transport Police's dedicated cable squad have arrested a man on suspicion of the theft of copper cable after a large amount of railway cable was discovered in his garage.
Officers have arrested the 40-year-old man at his home address in Hedon in Sunderland.
The man has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.
Sergeant Alan Darlington of British Transport Police’s dedicated Operation Drum team said:
“The arrest yesterday is part of ongoing work we are undertaking with Network Rail and local police forces to tackle this crime which are having a great effect.
“As part of our efforts to trace those responsible for cable theft we visit scrap yards in the area as most cable thieves look for the quickest way to sell on the stolen goods – scrap yards are one such method.
“We work closely with scrap yard owners to monitor any cable which is brought in and, with assistance from railway and telecoms experts, can quickly identify stolen cable.
“The theft of cable has a direct impact on the everyday lives of the traveling public; it really is an attack on the community. The act of stealing cable is also an extremely dangerous crime which is costly to the rail industry and to the thousands of passengers who rely on the rail network.”
Network Rail, working in partnership with the charity Crimestoppers, is offering a reward of up to £1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any cable thieves. Call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or anyone with information about cable theft should contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40.