THE battle against power cable thieves is being stepped up as power chiefs with the offer of cash rewards for those that help put them behind bars.

Sums of up to £1,000 will be given for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the “reckless” criminals who put lives at risk by their actions.

Northern Powergrid has teamed up with the charity Crimestoppers to launch the crackdown across the North-East and North Yorkshire.

The two organisations are targeting theft hotspot areas with a Facebook and Twitter campaign in an attempt to reduce the number of incidents.

And at the same time they are hoping to make people aware of the dangers and disruption that can occur when thieves attempt to steal items such as high voltage cables, earthing and other electrical equipment.

So far in 2014 there have been 354 incidents of such theft or vandalism across Northern Powergrid’s network.

In Teesside there were five separate attacks on power lines, resulting in more than 700 metres of power cables being stolen and nearly 2,000 properties experiencing power cuts.

One of the incidents resulted in a nursing home losing power for a considerable amount of time, causing severe disruption to residents.

And in North Yorkshire thieves struck at five different locations overnight in May, cutting power lines and stealing cable. All five incidents took place within two miles of each other and as a result, a number of properties suffered power problems.

Northern Powergrid’s vulnerable assets manager Nigel Walker said: “These thieves are reckless and show complete disregard for people’s lives."

To pass on information contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or use the online form at crimestoppers-uk.org. Informants will remain anonymous.