Copper theft delays trains

TRAINS between Edinburgh and Fife, Perth and Aberdeen were disrupted after thieves cut through a 650-volt cable to steal the copper.

At least 66 trains were cancelled or delayed by a total of nearly 12 hours following yesterday's incident north of the Forth Road Bridge.

Passengers on some routes were forced to switch to replacement coaches as engineers repaired the damage.

Police said it was the latest of 17 thefts and seven related offences in the last three and a half weeks involving metal being stolen from the railways.

The soaring price of copper on the world markets is said to have encouraged thieves to take bigger risks.