Latest news with #coppertheft
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Woman feared dead after wire theft cut her off
A woman says her family feared she was dead after thieves stole copper pipes, wiping out all methods of communication for 23 days. Pat Lowe, 88, noticed she had "no BT telephone lines, no WiFi, no email, no WhatsApp, no message facilities" at her property in Viney Hill, Gloucestershire on 28 April. Ms Lowe, who has cancer, said hospital specialists were trying to contact her to arrange appointments but could not reach her, leaving her "in danger of getting much worse" until she was reconnected on 21 May. A spokesperson for Openreach said: "These attacks cause unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people and put vulnerable people at risk." More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire Ms Lowe said when you're 88 years old and in difficult times with your health, your family think "you must have died because mum always answers the phone". "They were absolutely alarmed," she added. She is currently receiving treatment from a cancer specialist at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and medics were trying to contact her to arrange blood tests. "I was in danger of getting much worse because I couldn't get any of these messages," she said. "I had no security alarm system working, no medical alarm system working, no CCTV surveillance on the house. Everything was dead." While Ms Lowe said her WiFi and telephone line are now working, it caused "incredible and continuous stress". A spokesperson for Openreach said: "We're really disappointed that residents in the Forest of Dean have borne the brunt of a cable theft from our network. "Complex jointing works were needed to restore the network and this required permission for temporary traffic lights to keep our engineers safe. All customers should now be back in service." Gloucestershire Police said its intelligence teams were unaware of a large increase in copper cable thefts, which are "sporadic". Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Copper wiring stolen from mobile CT scanner Invisible marker reducing cable theft - Openreach Openreach
BBC News
17 hours ago
- BBC News
Woman feared dead after wire theft cut her off for weeks
A woman says her family feared she was dead after thieves stole copper pipes, wiping out all methods of communication for 23 Lowe, 88, noticed she had "no BT telephone lines, no WiFi, no email, no WhatsApp, no message facilities" at her property in Viney Hill, Gloucestershire on 28 Lowe, who has cancer, said hospital specialists were trying to contact her to arrange appointments but could not reach her, leaving her "in danger of getting much worse" until she was reconnected on 21 May.A spokesperson for Openreach said: "These attacks cause unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people and put vulnerable people at risk." Ms Lowe said when you're 88 years old and in difficult times with your health, your family think "you must have died because mum always answers the phone"."They were absolutely alarmed," she is currently receiving treatment from a cancer specialist at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and medics were trying to contact her to arrange blood tests. "I was in danger of getting much worse because I couldn't get any of these messages," she said."I had no security alarm system working, no medical alarm system working, no CCTV surveillance on the house. Everything was dead."While Ms Lowe said her WiFi and telephone line are now working, it caused "incredible and continuous stress". A spokesperson for Openreach said: "We're really disappointed that residents in the Forest of Dean have borne the brunt of a cable theft from our network."Complex jointing works were needed to restore the network and this required permission for temporary traffic lights to keep our engineers safe. All customers should now be back in service."Gloucestershire Police said its intelligence teams were unaware of a large increase in copper cable thefts, which are "sporadic".
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Copper wire stolen from 30 West Nipissing utility poles, police investigating
Copper theft continues to grow throughout North America, causing power outages in some remote Nova Scotia areas. CTV News' Paul Hollingsworth reports. Northern Ontario police say thieves caused $40,000 in damage when they stole the grounding copper wire from 30 utility poles in West Nipissing earlier this month. Ontario Provincial Police responded May 7 to the theft of a large amount of copper wire on Guenette Road, it said in a news release Tuesday. 'Officers are seeking the public's assistance in identifying the individual(s) involved in the theft or possession of this item,' OPP said. 'If anyone has any information regarding this investigation, please contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit information online at where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000. Ref.# E250570942." According to Schmidt's Auto Recycling, scrap copper prices can range between $1.96 and $4.52 per pound depending on the type. Thieves also stole about $100,000 of copper wiring by cutting down 33 hydro poles in Cobalt near the Hound Chute Generating Station. Theft charges laid A pair of suspects from Quebec were arrested in Matheson and charged with stealing about $50,000 in three separate incidents. In April, OPP charged a 35-year-old man for damaging hydro poles and stealing copper wire in the Town of Spanish. There is no indication any of the cases are related. Why do thieves target copper? 'Thieves target any areas of exposed copper for its high scrap value and the ease of taking it to a number of different scrap yards for cash,' Ken Hall Plumbers said in a blog post on why copper is stolen so much. 'Stolen copper is valuable as scrap metal because it can be easily reused to make fibre optics and high-value plumbing and electrical parts.'
CBS News
04-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Chicago police warn of burglars stealing copper on West Side
Chicago police have issued a warning about a burglar or burglars stealing copper from buildings on the city's West Side. The incidents happened in the Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, North Lawndale and Austin neighborhoods. In each instance, police said the burglar or burglars cut through a chain link fence to get onto private property, then stole copper wire, copper battery straps and electrical boxes from cellular towers and similar equipment. The incidents happened most in the morning, and in some cases the same block was hit by the burglar or burglars twice in two days. One incident took place in the afternoon. The burglaries were reported at the following times and places: 700 block of N. Pulaski Rd between April 26, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. and April 27, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. 700 block of N. Pulaski Rd on April 29, 2025, at 5:30 a.m. 3000 block of W. Van Buren St. between March 04, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. and March 07, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. 4500 block of W. Wilcox St. on May 6, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. 4100 block of W. Ogden Ave. on May 10, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. 800 block of N. Lorel Ave. between May 20, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. and May 21, 2025 at 11:34 a.m. 5300 block of W. Chicago Ave. on May 21, 2025, at 5:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The suspect is described as a Black male, 6 ft. 2 in. tall wearing dark jeans, a dark t-shirt and a dark colored sweater. If you have any information about these burglaries, contact Area Four detectives at 312-746-8253.
CTV News
01-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
CTV National News: Thieves steal copper wires from telephone poles in remote communities
Watch Copper theft continues to grow throughout North America, causing power outages in some remote Nova Scotia areas. CTV News' Paul Hollingsworth reports.
