A THIEF who brought parts of the East Coast Mainline to a standstill by stealing railway cable has been jailed for nine months.

Kevin Needham, 48, was caught on camera stealing more than 20 metres of cable from the Hambleton Junction, in North Yorkshire, in September and October last year.

British Transport Police said the actions of Needham, who was sentenced at York Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of the theft of cable from the railway and two counts of attempted theft, caused tens of thousands of pounds costs to the rail industry in delays which affected the line.

Police said a vehicle belonging to Needham, of Doncaster, was searched after one of the incidents and found gloves, hacksaw blades, and an electric current tester.

Detective Inspector Mick Dawes said: "Strong evidence, which included the images captured on the covert camera, items recovered in his car and at the scene, and tactics deployed by officers in connection with Network Rail staff, clearly linked Needham to the offences and left him with no option but to plead guilty.

"Cable doesn’t really have any real value to thieves or anyone outside the railway industry, as scrap metal dealers are highly unlikely to accept any cable or pay minimal costs in return."