Oil theft
Friday, 2 December 2011
Thieves stole £1,000 of copper piping, causing £30,000 of damage to a sub station and leading to power being switched off in hundreds of homes and businesses.
The sub station, in Pintail Close, Victoria Park, Netherfield, was attacked between 6pm on Friday 18 November and 8am on Saturday 19 November 2011.
The thieves shut down the circuit board before stealing three copper coils from the transformer. They then cut the 11,000-volt switch cable.
During the theft 100 litres of mineral oil was also drained from the transformer and left to run into soil and a nearby watercourse causing untold damage to the local environment and wildlife.
Power to the Netherfield community, including Morrisons, had to be switched off for ten minutes while emergency repairs were made to the sub station to make it safe.
DS Rob Lloyd, from the Force’s metal theft team, said: "This was a significant offence, which has had major repercussions for the local area.
"The offenders knew exactly what they were doing. They were clearly a highly-skilled and equipped team, who would have required heavy lifting equipment to lug a ton of copper coils away from the scene.
"Did you see anyone in the vicinity of Victoria Park overnight on Friday who was acting suspiciously? Were they in a vehicle large enough to transport a ton of metal? If so, please contact police.”
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Oil Theft in the News
Oil theft
Thieves stole £1,000 of copper piping, causing £30,000 of damage to a sub station and leading to power being switched off in hundreds of homes and businesses. The sub station, in Pi… Read More
