Latest news with #coppertheft
The Guardian
6 days ago
- The Guardian
Windfarms in England hit by wave of copper cabling thefts
Copper thieves have been targeting England's onshore windfarms, and security experts say organised gangs could be behind the crimewave. At least 12 large windfarms across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Humberside, Northamptonshire, North Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have fallen victim to cabling thieves in the past three months. Typically there may be fewer than five opportunistic incidents a year, and the recent spree suggests an organised group may be targeting the industry, according to the security company DeterTech Crime Intelligence. 'The current state of offending is exceptional and unlike anything I've seen,' said Richard Crisp, an intelligence analyst at DeterTech. 'We would typically expect to receive about four reports per year. It's also noteworthy that those reports were typically of isolated single turbines, whereas in 2025 they have all been of large windfarms, operating multiple turbines.' In one instance, the towers of three turbines within a single windfarm were broken into, which Crisp said underlined the scale of the criminality and the organised nature of the heists. The spate of thefts has emerged as windfarm developers prepare to invest in new projects in England after the Labour government lifted a ban on such proposals last year. The government hopes to double the number of onshore windfarms by the end of the decade to help create a virtually carbon-free electricity system by 2030. A source close to the affected windfarm owners – which have not been made public – said it was understood that thieves broke open the doors found at the base of wind turbine towers, which are used for maintenance work. The offenders have appeared undeterred by the fact that the turbines were operating at the time of the thefts, which suggests a high level of confidence and familiarity with the infrastructure. Windfarm developments are often in remote rural areas, meaning criminals do not necessarily need to wait for the cover of nightfall to carry out their thefts, the source added. 'Copper is a valuable resource. So if you can steal something that will get a good price, there will be people willing to do that,' the source said. 'From a risk versus reward calculation, stealing copper from a windfarm will be a lot more attractive than dealing drugs, for example. Stealing copper does not come with a class-A penalty.' The industry is working with the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership, which aims to combat metal crime from other infrastructure, including railway and telephone lines. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Although many windfarms are protected by high fences, locked gates and deep trenches dug to prevent vehicles from accessing the site, some can be easily accessed by would-be thieves. Owners have been urged to increase security measures and monitor their CCTV for any signs of criminal intent. In most of the cases of theft suspicious vehicles have been spotted carrying out 'hostile reconnaissance' beforehand, according to DeterTech. James Robottom, the head of policy at RenewableUK, said the trade group was aware of the recent incidents and was 'working pro-actively with the police to identify ways to secure sites even more effectively in the future'. 'This organised criminality not only affects the operation of important energy infrastructure – it also risks the lives of our workers and those carrying out these thefts,' Robottom said.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
Woman feared dead after wire theft cut her off
A woman says her family feared she was dead after thieves stole copper pipes, wiping out all methods of communication for 23 days. Pat Lowe, 88, noticed she had "no BT telephone lines, no WiFi, no email, no WhatsApp, no message facilities" at her property in Viney Hill, Gloucestershire on 28 April. Ms Lowe, who has cancer, said hospital specialists were trying to contact her to arrange appointments but could not reach her, leaving her "in danger of getting much worse" until she was reconnected on 21 May. A spokesperson for Openreach said: "These attacks cause unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people and put vulnerable people at risk." More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire Ms Lowe said when you're 88 years old and in difficult times with your health, your family think "you must have died because mum always answers the phone". "They were absolutely alarmed," she added. She is currently receiving treatment from a cancer specialist at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and medics were trying to contact her to arrange blood tests. "I was in danger of getting much worse because I couldn't get any of these messages," she said. "I had no security alarm system working, no medical alarm system working, no CCTV surveillance on the house. Everything was dead." While Ms Lowe said her WiFi and telephone line are now working, it caused "incredible and continuous stress". A spokesperson for Openreach said: "We're really disappointed that residents in the Forest of Dean have borne the brunt of a cable theft from our network. "Complex jointing works were needed to restore the network and this required permission for temporary traffic lights to keep our engineers safe. All customers should now be back in service." Gloucestershire Police said its intelligence teams were unaware of a large increase in copper cable thefts, which are "sporadic". Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Copper wiring stolen from mobile CT scanner Invisible marker reducing cable theft - Openreach Openreach
BBC News
20-06-2025
- BBC News
Woman feared dead after wire theft cut her off for weeks
A woman says her family feared she was dead after thieves stole copper pipes, wiping out all methods of communication for 23 Lowe, 88, noticed she had "no BT telephone lines, no WiFi, no email, no WhatsApp, no message facilities" at her property in Viney Hill, Gloucestershire on 28 Lowe, who has cancer, said hospital specialists were trying to contact her to arrange appointments but could not reach her, leaving her "in danger of getting much worse" until she was reconnected on 21 May.A spokesperson for Openreach said: "These attacks cause unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people and put vulnerable people at risk." Ms Lowe said when you're 88 years old and in difficult times with your health, your family think "you must have died because mum always answers the phone"."They were absolutely alarmed," she is currently receiving treatment from a cancer specialist at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and medics were trying to contact her to arrange blood tests. "I was in danger of getting much worse because I couldn't get any of these messages," she said."I had no security alarm system working, no medical alarm system working, no CCTV surveillance on the house. Everything was dead."While Ms Lowe said her WiFi and telephone line are now working, it caused "incredible and continuous stress". A spokesperson for Openreach said: "We're really disappointed that residents in the Forest of Dean have borne the brunt of a cable theft from our network."Complex jointing works were needed to restore the network and this required permission for temporary traffic lights to keep our engineers safe. All customers should now be back in service."Gloucestershire Police said its intelligence teams were unaware of a large increase in copper cable thefts, which are "sporadic".
CTV News
17-06-2025
- CTV News
Copper wire stolen from 30 West Nipissing utility poles, police investigating
Copper theft continues to grow throughout North America, causing power outages in some remote Nova Scotia areas. CTV News' Paul Hollingsworth reports. Northern Ontario police say thieves caused $40,000 in damage when they stole the grounding copper wire from 30 utility poles in West Nipissing earlier this month. Ontario Provincial Police responded May 7 to the theft of a large amount of copper wire on Guenette Road, it said in a news release Tuesday. 'Officers are seeking the public's assistance in identifying the individual(s) involved in the theft or possession of this item,' OPP said. 'If anyone has any information regarding this investigation, please contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit information online at where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000. Ref.# E250570942." According to Schmidt's Auto Recycling, scrap copper prices can range between $1.96 and $4.52 per pound depending on the type. Thieves also stole about $100,000 of copper wiring by cutting down 33 hydro poles in Cobalt near the Hound Chute Generating Station. Theft charges laid A pair of suspects from Quebec were arrested in Matheson and charged with stealing about $50,000 in three separate incidents. In April, OPP charged a 35-year-old man for damaging hydro poles and stealing copper wire in the Town of Spanish. There is no indication any of the cases are related. Why do thieves target copper? 'Thieves target any areas of exposed copper for its high scrap value and the ease of taking it to a number of different scrap yards for cash,' Ken Hall Plumbers said in a blog post on why copper is stolen so much. 'Stolen copper is valuable as scrap metal because it can be easily reused to make fibre optics and high-value plumbing and electrical parts.'
CBS News
04-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Chicago police warn of burglars stealing copper on West Side
Chicago police have issued a warning about a burglar or burglars stealing copper from buildings on the city's West Side. The incidents happened in the Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, North Lawndale and Austin neighborhoods. In each instance, police said the burglar or burglars cut through a chain link fence to get onto private property, then stole copper wire, copper battery straps and electrical boxes from cellular towers and similar equipment. The incidents happened most in the morning, and in some cases the same block was hit by the burglar or burglars twice in two days. One incident took place in the afternoon. The burglaries were reported at the following times and places: 700 block of N. Pulaski Rd between April 26, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. and April 27, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. 700 block of N. Pulaski Rd on April 29, 2025, at 5:30 a.m. 3000 block of W. Van Buren St. between March 04, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. and March 07, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. 4500 block of W. Wilcox St. on May 6, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. 4100 block of W. Ogden Ave. on May 10, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. 800 block of N. Lorel Ave. between May 20, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. and May 21, 2025 at 11:34 a.m. 5300 block of W. Chicago Ave. on May 21, 2025, at 5:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The suspect is described as a Black male, 6 ft. 2 in. tall wearing dark jeans, a dark t-shirt and a dark colored sweater. If you have any information about these burglaries, contact Area Four detectives at 312-746-8253.
