Network Rail has welcomed the introduction of new legislation designed to reduce metal theft. The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 makes it harder for thieves to sell on copper, aluminium and steel plundered from the railways for cash. It also places an onus on dealers to keep detailed records of all transactions and gives police greater powers of intervention.

“We are pleased Government has accepted that previous legislation was out of date and hope this new law will have a significant effect on reducing metal theft,” said Network Rail’s cable theft programme manager Alison Clarke. “It effectively takes away the market and gives police a fighting chance of tackling the problem.”

The new legislation followed a Private Members’ Bill brought by Croydon South MP Richard Ottaway. “Metal theft is no petty crime,” he said. “It hits at the heart of our daily lives; causing trains to grind to a halt, cutting off power supplies to hospitals and stripping roofs off churches and schools at huge public expense.”

Metal theft from railways hit the headlines a few years ago and efforts by railway authorities have begun to curb the problem. “It is still a big issue and the problem has not gone away but metal theft is not causing us as much delay on the railways as it did,” added Clarke.

In 2010/11 there were 365,000 minutes of delay on the railways caused by metal theft and last year there were 344,000 minutes delay. This current year to the beginning of April 2013 has seen around 150,000 minutes delay – a reduction of 50%.

“We have a strategy in place including trying to prevent people coming onto the railway, using forensic marking on cables and ‘banding’ them together to make it harder to pull out great lengths,” she added. “We cannot become complacent.”

(Photo: Paul Goyette)

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