Crime Alert - BT Cable Theft - My Community Alert

Crime Alert - BT Cable Theft

Dear Residents,

The Rural Task Force have seen a significant increase in theft of underground BT cable from across the East Riding, especially in rural locations. Residents are advised to remain vigilant following reports of BT cable theft in the local area.

Cable theft can cause significant disruption to telephone and broadband services, affecting homes, businesses, and emergency communications.

Thieves often target underground telecommunications cables for their scrap metal value.

Please be alert for:

Suspicious vehicles parked near BT/Openreach cabinets or utility poles.

Individuals working on telecommunications equipment without clearly marked vehicles or identification. BT staff will always have identification and will give you a pin number to which you can give to a BT call handler to clarify they are a genuine BT employee.

Unusual activity around roadside cabinets, manholes, or cable routes, particularly during evenings and overnight.

4X4 type vehicles dragging cables along the road

Sound of tools being used to cut items.

What to do:

✅ Do not approach suspected offenders.
✅ Note descriptions of people, vehicles, registration numbers, and locations if safe to do so.
✅ Report suspicious activity immediately by calling 999 if a crime is in progress, or 101 for non-emergency reports.
✅ Report service faults directly to your broadband or telephone provider.

Working together as a community can help prevent further disruption and assist police in identifying those responsible.

Reply to this message

Message Sent By
Oliver Ransom
(Humberside Police, Police Constable, North Bank Rural Task Force)

To find out more about your local policing team including who your officers are, updates on policing priorities and details of meetings and events please visit https://www.police.uk.