Network Rail figures show delays down 50% from 2011 peak after concerted effort to stop thieves taking copper cables

The battle against the recent plague of metal theft may finally be being won by law enforcers – at least on the railways. Figures released by Network Rail show that incidents which affected rail services dropped by two-thirds over the last year.

Total delays caused by the problem fell by more than half in the year to March 2013 to around 2,700 hours – down from more than 6,000 hours of delays to trains at the peak in 2011.

While the cost to the industry was still put at almost £13m over the last year, it represents a significant decline in a crime that has caused widespread disruption and delays for rail passengers over the past few years.

Copper cable theft has been a particular problem, hitting telephone and broadband connections as well as causing rail delays. Despite an increasing police crackdown, thefts in recent weeks caused problems including an entire Lincolnshire village losing its communications and a new bridge in south Wales having to be closed after safety railings were stolen.

Network Rail said passengers were reaping the benefits of years of work to tackle the problem with partners in the railway and associated industries.

Neil Henry, the head of operations and performance at Network Rail, said the figures were a result of several factors, including the targeting of thieves and scrap dealers by the British transport police.

He said: “Our engineers are working with suppliers and other industries to make metal – particularly our cables – harder to steal and easier to identify and our teams around the network are introducing new ways of working to reduce delay and fix thefts more quickly. We believe the introduction of new laws following our work with other industries to explain the need for change to government will continue to help to stifle the market for stolen metal.”

The transport minister Norman Baker said: “The coalition government is strongly committed to tackling metal theft and it is heartening to see that the decisive action that has been taken is now paying off with major reductions in this kind of crime.”

A ban on paying cash for scrap metal came into force in December. Fines have been increased for dealers trading in stolen metal and police have been given new powers to close unlicensed scrap yards.

Detective Chief Inspector Gill Murray of the British transport police said the reduced figures were “encouraging” but added: “We cannot, however, take our eye off the ball and will continue to develop initiatives and tactics to make life even more challenging for thieves and unscrupulous metal recyclers.”

There were 285 thefts that caused delays to rail services last year, down from 845 in 2011-12. The bill for passenger compensation for delayed trains fell to £5.8m from £12m in 2010-11.

The Scrap Metal Dealers act which comes into force in the autumn gives police powers to close unlicensed scrapyards, creates a register of dealers, and requires dealers to record ID from all sellers of metal.

A spike in commodity prices since 2008 made stealing metal an increasingly lucrative business.

Copper prices hit record highs in 2011, having trebled in the previous two years, and remained high until this year.

But recent falls in the price may dampen the appetite for illegal trade, although a report in the Wall Street Journal last week said suppliers were having to pay hefty premiums to source metals at short notice, despite a glut stockpiled in warehouses in Belgium and Malaysia.