£20,000 reward for information leading to conviction of thieves who stole cables from Witchford and Swavesey
A £20,000 reward is up for grabs for anonymous information given to Crimestoppers that leads to the convictions of those responsible for cable thefts that left thousands of residents and businesses in Swavesey and Witchford without broadband access.
Openreach, the phone and broadband network, is offering the reward through the charity after its engineers had to replace hundreds of metres of cable in the villages.
Large sections of live cable were dragged from the underground network using 4x4 vehicles on Witchford Road between 6pm and 9.30pm on Sunday, January 2, and on Fen Drayton Road, Swavesey, overnight on Tuesday, January 4, between 9.30pm and 2am on Wednesday, January 5.
These followed a similar theft in Witchford on the evening of December 15, which left 1,000 homes and businesses without landline phone, broadband and TV streaming services.
Openreach said despite the swift action of engineers, the damage caused major disruption for households and essential emergency services, while significant damage was also caused to street furniture, farmland and the RSPB Fen Drayton nature reserve after cables were dragged through the protected land.
Richard Ginnaw, head of security services for Openreach, said: “These incidents have severely impacted the day-to-day lives of people across these areas of Cambridgeshire, and this is why we are offering this reward. Did you see any suspicious people or vehicles in or around the areas targeted, on the dates and times of the incidents, or in the days leading up to the thefts?
“We are working closely with the police to catch those who are responsible and have deployed additional security enhancements across the area, but we also need your help. Please be vigilant, and if you saw anything suspicious on or around the time of the incidents, please report it. If you prefer not to speak directly to police, contact the charity Crimestoppers anonymously.”
Under Openreach’s partnership with Crimestoppers, rewards are offered for information given anonymously to the charity about cable thefts that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Annabelle Goodenough, south east regional manager at Crimestoppers, said: “The reward amount on offer by Openreach for these extremely disruptive cable thefts reflects the huge amount of damage caused to services and the local environment, and the importance they place on the issue. This is not a victimless crime. With essential emergency services also being severely impacted by this, the potential devastating effect on human life cannot be underestimated.
“We urge anyone with any information on those behind these thefts to speak to Crimestoppers completely anonymously. We know that some people feel unable to speak directly to authorities, which is why our independent charity is here to help. You can tell us what you know while protecting your identity and staying 100 per cent anonymous - always. This promise has been kept since we began in 1988.”
Anyone with information on these incidents can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or use the anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
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