RECKLESS thieves are putting their lives at risk by stealing power lines for the valuable wire inside, it has been warned.

RECKLESS thieves are putting their lives at risk by stealing power lines for the valuable wire inside, it has been warned.

There have been two recent incidents in Suffolk, which also resulted in power cuts for people living nearby.

Supplies to about 700 customers were interrupted on both on Thursday last week and May 13.

In the first incident, power was interrupted to customers in the Bulmer, Gestingthorpe and Belchamp Walter area when vandals tampered with the overhead line in a 4.30am raid.

Engineers repaired the line and restored power to customers throughout the day.

But there was then a second attack on the network on Thursday , in which overhead lines were stolen - interrupting supplies to about 700 customers in the same area.

Thieves are stealing the power cables for the valuable wire, including copper, inside.

A spokesman for EDF Energy said: “Those behind these attacks risked their lives, as well as causing major inconvenience to those affected.

“In these instances, the culprits came very close to coming into contact with high voltage electricity which would be fatal.

“EDF Energy is constantly working to stamp out such attacks, and we will always assist police in their investigations and support prosecutions, which can result in large fines or even prison sentences.

“We are committed to providing our customers with a safe and reliable electricity supply and we take incidents like this very seriously.”