18th May 12 
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Power cable raiders dodge death
POWER cable thieves have been branded irresponsible after climbing pylons and cutting wires.
They had to cut off power and climb the poles before escaping with only about 100 metres of cable.
The raid was only discovered by a Scottish Power worker who was checking pumping stations along the River Dee.
The pumps are owned by Scottish Water and are used to protect farmland at Culvennan Farm, Glenlochar, near Castle Douglas.
Scottish Power said the people responsible for the theft were lucky to be alive after what they described as an ‘incredibly dangerous’ thing to do.
Although the culprits only got around 100 metres of cable it is pure copper and can be sold at up to £3000 a ton.
Local farmer Andrew Milligan said: “They had to climb the wooden poles and would have had to cut up the wire which is very heavy.
“It was only the pumping stations where power was lost. The cable connected the various stations. Scottish Water has now carried out repairs.”
He added: “It was one of their workmen who was making a routine check on the pumps that noticed the theft.”
A Scottish Power spokesman said it was lucky that no one was seriously injured or killed and he added: “The incident happened between Friday night and Monday. The cables were live and carrying electricity. The people responsible showed a staggering disregard for their own safety, the safety of the public, and that of our employees.
“It is important all our equipment is in service so we can maintain a good quality of electricity supply to all of our customers who depend on our service.”
He added: “We just cannot understand why anyone would put their life at risk by interfering with thousands of volts of electricity to steal small amounts of cable with a minimal scrap value.”
A Dumfries and Galloway Police spokesman said: “In order to carry out this theft the power would have to have been isolated and the pylons climbed to cut the cable down.
“It is the latest in a series of thefts of cable and metal across the region.”
NEWSDESK: 01461-202417
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