Openreach partners to fight UK cable theft crisis

Cable theft costs the UK £500 million yearly and has cost £4.3 billion since 2013. Openreach partnered with metal recycler EMR and Crimestoppers, deploying DNA tracers and grid alarms. Since April 2024, 153km of copper cable was stolen, impacting over 100,000 customers and causing 1.2 million hours of lost service. Copper prices hit all-time highs in early 2026, driving the crime.