Thieves cause thousands of pounds worth of damage

thieves caused havoc and destruction after trying to steal thousands of pounds of cabling in the Uphill area of Gainsborough.

At about 10pm on Thursday 22nd September, an attempt was made to steal underground cable from Heapham Road – close to the junction with Hickman Court.

The offenders are thought to have been wearing high visibility jackets and driving a 4 x 4 vehicle.

Inspection covers were removed and the cable was cut – causing over £15,000 worth of damage and cutting the telephone lines to over 1,200 residents and businesses in the local area.

A Lincs Police spokesman said: “The impact of this crime was significant, both in terms of the cost of the cable and the labour costs of repair, which runs into thousands of pounds.”

“There were three BT vans parked at the scene, working through the night to restore services. There is also the cost to local businesses of losing custom when the phone lines are inoperable.”

He added: “Metal, in a variety of forms is a constant target of theft across the county and the public are asked to be vigilant and security conscious at all times.”

Anyone who saw any suspicious activity in this area or who has any CCTV which would cover this location is asked to contact Lincolnshire Police on 0300 111 0300 quoting incident number 250 of 23rd September.

Alternatively, you can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Residents are asked to report any suspicious behaviour around BT junction boxes and inspection covers.

BT engineers and will always have BT Open Reach logos on their uniforms and vehicles.