THIEVES who stole cable from alongside a railway line in South Wales caused delays to trains on Saturday (4 June).

The loss of the signal cable meant that Arriva Trains Wales services had to observe emergency speed restrictions in the Llanelli area.

Network Rail had completed repairs by Sunday afternoon. Network Rail said: "A signal failure occurred just before start of service at 05.00 on 4 June, the cause of which was quickly determined to be cable theft.

"Network Rail engineers were on site quickly but the theft caused disruption."

British Transport Police warned that thefts like this could endanger safety and would not benefit the thieves, because scrap dealers must not accept railway cable from unproven sources. The law on buying such cable changed some years ago, and scrap dealers who ignore the rules can now be prosecuted along with the thieves.

PC Paul Broaders of BTP said: "Thefts such as these have little financial benefit but ultimately put people's lives at risk.

"The stolen cable is of no real value to anyone outside the railway industry, yet the cost to replace it is extremely high. In fact, thieves will struggle to get any money at all, as scrap metal dealers simply will not accept railway cable.

"The railway is a dangerous environment, and anyone who attempts to steal cable risks serious injury – or even death".