The theft of railway cables between Llanelli and Llandeilo caused delays to train services over the weekend.
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THE theft of railway cables between Llanelli and Llandeilo caused delays to train services over the weekend.
Arriva Trains Wales said trains were running at a reduced speed, following the discovery of the theft on Saturday morning.
Repair work was completed by mid afternoon on Sunday, when services began to run again at normal speed.
A spokesman for Network Rail said: "A signal failure occurred just before start of service, at 5am, on Saturday June 4, the cause of which was quickly determined to be cable theft.
"Network Rail engineers were on site quickly but the theft caused disruption to train services. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this incident."
British Transport Police have issued another warning about the dangers of cable theft, and follows the conviction of men who stole cable from the railway in Swansea.
Phillip Jeffrey Beynon, of Cimla, was given a suspended prison sentence at Swansea Crown Court last month, while co-defendants Gareth Gregory, 36, of Llansamlet, and Peter Wilson, 44, of Morriston were jailed for their role in the operation in July 2014.
PC Paul Broaders of BTP said: "Thefts such as these have little financial benefit but ultimately put people's lives at risk.
"The stolen cable is of no real value to anyone outside the railway industry, yet the cost to replace it is extremely high. "In fact, thieves will struggle to get any money at all, as scrap metal dealers simply will not accept railway cable.
"The railway is a dangerous environment, and anyone who attempts to steal cable risks serious injury – or even death – through electrocution.
"My message to these thieves is simple: if you are foolish enough to risk your own life to fund your lifestyle, we will do everything in our power to find you, to arrest you and make full use of the law to ensure you will not be in a position to commit offences for many years to come."
And Dave Cartwright, operations risk advisor for Network Rail Wales, said: "Cable theft is not a victimless crime. Train delays and cancellations directly affect people getting to work, visiting family and travelling to hospital appointments.
"Cable thieves disrupt people's lives and we will continue working with British Transport Police to protect the rail network upon which our economy relies."
Read more: http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Warning-dangerous-rail-thefts-delayed-trains/story-29362592-detail/story.html#ixzz4AnSEGPrN
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