THE cost of train delays caused by thieves stealing signal cables in Yorkshire and North-east England has more than doubled.

Network Rail has disclosed that the compensation paid to train operators in the region has increased from £1.7 million to £3.5 million in only a year.

Richard Lungmuss, who took over as route director for Network Rail in January, said: "Working with our partners in the train operating companies, we achieved record levels of train punctuality in 2008/09.

“However many thousands of passengers in the North-east and Yorkshire were unnecessarily delayed after thieves brought trains to a halt. This is not good enough and I am determined that we will not allow thieves to continue to bring misery to passengers."

"We are working on a number of ideas to tackle the thieves and I would ask the community for their support. It is your railway, help us to keep services running reliably by reporting anyone you see acting suspiciously or any information you have about the people committing these crimes."

Detective Inspector Brian Buddo, who leads the British Transport Police (BTP) dedicated team of officers tackling metal theft in Yorkshire and the North-east, said: “This year, to date, we have recorded 367 cable theft offences and have effected more than 115 arrests, detecting 44 crimes, and we are continuing to use a wide range of tactics to prevent, deter and detect this type of crime.

“We are dedicated to doing all we can to tackle metal theft but we can’t do it alone. The public has an important part to play. If you have information about metal thieves who are stealing from the railway network then call Crimestoppers anonymously and tell us - we’re not interested in your name, only theirs.”

Since April thieves have continued to strike. Recent incidents include:

9 April - 100m of cable stolen at Seaton Carew
10 April - cable set on fire behind the Meadowhall centre in Sheffield
13 April - 34m of cable stolen at Seaton Carew
16 April - 250m of cable stolen at Ashington
21 April - 10m of cable stolen at Thorne Moorends, between Goole and Doncaster

Crimestoppers can be contacted free on 0800 555 111. Callers could be eligible for a reward of up to £1,000.  Information can also be left anonymously.