Police hunt cable thieves who left Cambridgeshire businesses without power in dangerous raid on electricity substation.
Businesses were plunged into darkness after thieves cut through cables and stole a substantial amount of electrical wiring from a Cambridgeshire business park.
The theft happened in the early hours of Wednesday at Elean Business Park in Sutton, near Ely, leaving customers without power.
Police said the raiders targeted an electricity substation on the site, cutting cables and making off with a large quantity of copper wiring.
No arrests have been made and officers are appealing for witnesses.
An employee from a nearby business said the thieves struck before dawn on Wednesday morning.
“They stole the cable from business units which are unoccupied and being refurbished for new businesses to move in,” they said.
UK Power Networks, which manages the substation, warned the theft could have had fatal consequences.
“Power was interrupted to customers at Elean Business Park yesterday after vandals damaged cabling at our electricity substation on site,” a spokesperson said.
“Tampering with live electricity cables is extremely dangerous and could kill you.”
Cable theft has become an increasingly common problem across the UK, driven by rising metal prices. Copper wiring is particularly valuable to thieves who sell it for scrap.
The thefts often cause significant disruption to businesses and can take days or weeks to repair.
Cambridgeshire Police urged anyone with information about the incident to contact the force quoting incident number 125 of 8 October.