Standard content for Members only
To continue reading this article, please login to your Utility Week account, Start 14 day trial or Become a member.
If your organisation already has a corporate membership and you haven’t activated it simply follow the register link below. Check here.
Network companies are urging the Scottish Government to swiftly bring its metal theft legislation in line with England and Wales amid evidence criminal gangs are moving north.
The Energy Networks Association welcomed the introduction of legislation at Holyrood last week to tackle metal theft by regulating the scrap metal trade. Similar laws passed eighteen months ago in England and Wales had cut levels of metal theft by almost 40 per cent in some areas, the industry body said. However, that coincided with the “export of criminal activity” to Scotland.
An industry source said: “We know that copper theft is generally carried out by organised criminal gangs. Since it became harder to sell stolen metal in England and Wales, the worry is that Scotland is now the natural target for these criminals. These gangs are mobile and it wouldn’t surprise me if they are already operating north of the border.”
In the past year, Scottish Power was the victim of 365 thefts across its Scottish network, more than six times the number of incidents in its North Wales region.
The scale of the problem led the energy company to launch a “Copped it” public safety campaign in October. A series of print, radio and video ads raised awareness of the dangers of stealing from overhead power lines or substations.
Scottish Power has seen cases of live overhead power lines being cut down by hacksaws. In the most serious incident last year, a 43-year-old man died after an attempted theft. Another raid on a substation in November caused a serious house fire, damaged appliances and cut off supplies to 280 homes for most of the day.
Frank Mitchell, CEO of Scottish Power Energy Networks, said: “It is a misconception that stealing metal from a substation or a power line is a victimless crime.”
Since January 2011, Scottish Power has seen 1,500 copper thefts across its networks, exposing more than 140,000 homes to increased risk of electrical faults. Some 11,000 man-hours have gone into repairing the damage.
Please login or Register to leave a comment.