THE improvement and expansion of the region’s rail network is being hampered by scrap metal thieves, it is claimed.

Network Rail says it paid out £3.5m in compensation to rail operators in the past 12 months because of delays caused by cable thefts.

The figure is up more than £1.7m on the previous year.

According to rail bosses, this is money that has to be diverted away from projects to improve the rail network.

Richard Lungmuss, route director for Network Rail, said: “Every penny we spend dealing with cable theft has to come from the central pot.

“We will never let safety be compromised, but it does mean that, somewhere along the line, investment that we would like to make on improving and enhancing the rail network will suffer.”

More than 350 cable thefts have been reported so far this year in the North-East and Yorkshire.

Rail bosses fear this figure could rise dramatically in coming weeks following an increase in the price of scrap copper.

Recent incidents include 100 metres of cable stolen at Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, on April 9. Four days later, a further 34 metres was stolen nearby.

On April 16, 250 metres of cable was taken from track at Ashington, Northumberland.

Mr Lungmuss said: “We are working on a number of ideas to tackle the thefts and I would ask the community for their support.

“It is your railway, so help us to keep services running reliably by reporting anyone you see acting suspiciously or passing on any information about the crimes.”

Detective Inspector Brian Buddo leads a British Transport Police unit dedicated to tackling metal theft in the region.

He said: “This year, to date, we have has 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.

“The public has an important part to play. If you have information about thieves who are stealing from the railway network, call Crimestoppers anonymously and tell us – we’re not interested in your name, only theirs.”

Crimestoppers can be contacted free on 0800-555-111.