Phone cable thefts have fallen by 63 per cent
Telephone cable thefts by metal thieves have dropped by 63 per cent in the West Midlands over the past six months, with a national task force set-up to combat the problem being credited with helping with the reduction.
But phone operator BT has revealed that there has been a rise in cable thefts in recent weeks, with scores of homes and businesses across the Black Country and Staffordshire being left without phones and internet as metal thieves target the telephone network.
Last year, BT launched a special task force of 40 staff to work with police to identify those responsible. Figures released today show there has been about 35 cable thefts in the West Midlands between May and the end of October, compared to about 90 for the same period last year.
But BT said today that more work needed to be done to eradicate the problem.
Spokeswoman Amy Walker said: "While this looks very encouraging, incident levels in this region have started to rise again in the past few weeks, with some very big cables being cut resulting in large numbers of customers impacted, so it is not quite time the to start celebrating." BT,, are calling on the Government to improve the regulation of the scrap metal industry to make it harder for criminals to sell goods. From next month, it will become an offence for scrap metal dealers to trade in cash.
Last month, about 50 homes in Halesowen were left without a phone line after raiders attacked a cable box at the corner of Cherry Tree Lane and Hagley Road.
Meanwhile, almost a mile of copper cable was stolen from overhead power lines during three thefts in two days in Bridgnorth.
