It would appear that not only are more businesses starting to reopen but cable thieves are also back out in force as major disruption on the Tyne and Wear Metro network has been put down to a cable theft in the early hours of Friday 12th June. 300 metres of copper power cables were targeted between Byker and Chillingham Road leading to major disruption on the Metro network throughout Friday 12th June.
Huw Lewis, Customer Services Director at Nexus, said: “Today’s ongoing Metro service suspension between St James and North Shields was caused by cable theft. This offence took place in the early hours of Friday morning, causing major disruption for customers who need to use the Metro service. Our engineers are on site carrying repairs and replacing 300 metres of cable, which is vital so that Metro trains are able to operate. I urge anyone with any information to come forward. We are offering a £1,000 reward for information that leads to the thieves being caught. Cable theft causes a huge amount of disruption to our customers as it halts Metro services while we carry out repairs. Metro runs on high voltage power so anyone who attempts to cut through trackside cables risks being seriously injured or killed.”
No trains were able to run between St James and North Shields as a result of this cable theft which saw sensitive power supply equipment damaged. It is expected that the work to repair the damage will take all of Friday 12th June.