METAL thieves have again struck in the Selby district, this time stealing 180 metres of copper cable and leaving 42 homes without power.

The thieves struck at about 2.30am yesterday in Great Heck, stealing electricity cable from the overhead line network.

The cost of replacing the cabling and repairing the network is estimated at £3,500.

The theft left 42 homes without power until yesterday afternoon.

The Selby area is currently a hotspot for cable thefts. The latest raid is the 29th in the district this year in a spate of thefts which has cost CE Electric tens of thousands of pounds.

The company owns and operates the electricity network in the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire and estimates that thefts across the entire patch has cost it £1 million in metal alone plus a further £2 million in repairing the damage caused.

In a bid to tackle the copper thefts the company is investing in security improvements such as intruder alarms, electric fences and security detection systems in substations.

Paul Norton, head of safety at CE Electric UK, said: “The thieves are lucky to get away, seemingly without injury.

“We are working with the police to help them with their investigations and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“In the past three years, we have seen people lose their lives and many more receive horrific electrical burn injuries after trying to steal cables, power lines and other components from our network.

“We are asking local residents and especially parents to be vigilant of any suspicious behaviour and to contact the police immediately or to phone our emergency number on 0800 375 675.”