New figures show that cable theft from railways has fallen significantly over the last year.

There were 25 recorded cable thefts in September 2013, as opposed to only two in September 2014, say Network Rail and the British Transport Police (BTP).

It is thought this is down to the the introduction of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act in 2013, which was designed to target theft in the industry. Now scrap metal dealers must be licensed, and take note of sellers’ proof of identity as part of their records. Cash transactions have also been banned, in the hope of making sellers easier to trace.

Network Rail claim to have reduced cable theft by 86 per cent since beginning a dedicated programme to address the problem.

DCI Alison Evans of the BTP welcomed the new figures, and said: ”Having met with rail industries and police forces from across Europe, I'm pleased to say Britain is considerably ahead with our innovation and aptitude towards dealing with metal theft.”