£4k of copper cable is snatched near Malton (From Gazette & Herald)

£4k of copper cable is snatched near Malton

8:56am Saturday 12th May 2012 in News By Jennifer Bell, jennifer.bell@thepress.co.uk

MORE than a tonne of copper cable worth £4,000 has been stolen from a roadside near Malton.

Police said it was likely it would have taken a number of people and a large vehicle to remove the 300m of lead-covered copper cable – which weighs about 1,200kg – from the side of the road on the A169 between Malton and Pickering near the junction for Kirby Misperton.

The cable, belonging to British Telecom, was stolen some time between Friday, May 4, and Tuesday, May 8.

Officers are asking anyone who saw anyone acting suspicious at or near this location between these times to contact North Yorkshire Police as soon as possible.

PC Stewart Ashton, of Malton Safer Neighbour-hood Team, said: “I am appealing to everyone who used this stretch the A169 over the bank holiday weekend to contact the police or Crimestoppers immediately if they saw the cable being loaded onto a vehicle, even if it didn’t appear to be suspicious at the time.”

PC Ashton added: “North Yorkshire Police is actively targeting criminals who commit these offences which inconvenience the communities across North Yorkshire and the City of York.

“Local residents can greatly assist by reporting any vehicles they see acting suspiciously to the police immediately.”

Metal thieves struck more than three times a day in North Yorkshire last year – leading to MPs called for more to be done to tackle the epidemic.

The Metal Theft (Prevention) Bill, aimed at introducing a licensing scheme for scrap metal dealers, banning cash-in-hand deals and giving police more powers to search scrapyards, is intended to tackle the national problem.

To help, phone Malton Police on 101, press option 2 and ask for Stewart Ashton or phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.