Copper thieves risk their lives at sub station

THIEVES put their lives at risk by attempting to steal copper from an electrical sub station.

Police have described the crime as "foolish" while ScottishPower has also condemned their actions.

The attempted theft took place on 11 April when they cut fencing from around the perimeter of the Newbridge Primary Electricity Station.

They tried to tamper with sub station equipment to reach the copper plating, but were disturbed before they managed to reach it, and made off empty handed before the police arrived.

A police spokesman said: "This was a dangerous and extremely foolish crime.

"As well as causing damage to the station itself, had the thieves been successful, thousands of homes in West Lothian and the west of Edinburgh could have been left without power."

Frank Mitchell, director of ScottishPower Energy Networks, added: "It beggars belief that anyone would put their own life at risk by tampering with thousands of volts of electricity in order to steal small amounts of copper that have a minimal scrap value."