Rail wire thieves caught in the act

The youths, two aged 17 and one aged 18, were arrested by officers from the Dearne safer neighbourhood team after they were seen attempting to steal railway cable from the main line running through Bolton-on-Dearne – on the electrified route between Leeds and Sheffield.

Damage running into thousands, and severe disruption to train services, could have been caused if they had been successful.

Sergeant Matt Davies, from British Transport Police, said: "After the threat of terrorism, the theft of cable still remains one of our biggest challenges. We have made some real inroads in driving down cable crime in and around the area.

"We are committed to reducing the number of cable crimes, and tracking down the criminals who target the railway by constantly looking for ways to stay one step ahead.

"We will not become complacent – we are committed to reducing offences further and locking up those responsible."

Latest figures reveal that thieves targeting copper cable laid next to railway lines across Yorkshire have caused almost 1,500 hours of delay to services in the past year, costing the industry more than 1.6m in compensation costs alone.

As the price of copper has soared on the world markets by about 40 per cent in the past year, to 5,200 a ton, criminals have increasingly been targeting the cables.

In South Yorkshire, there were 201 cable thefts in 2009/10.

The three teenagers, all from Bolton-on-Dearne, were arrested following the incident on April 18 and have been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Northern Rail area director Steve Butcher said cable theft was one of the single biggest causes of delay to services. He added: "We welcome any information anyone can give to help catch the offenders."

Copper cable thefts can be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.