Police investigate spate of cable cutting across Blackpool

Ena Ross and neighbour Alan Brunt were both affected after power cables outside their flats were cut.

Residents across Blackpool have reported a spate of incidents which have seen outdoor cables deliberately cut and power lost to TVs and computers.

There have been incidents in North Shore areas such as Banks Street and Lord Street, as well as areas around Victory Road in the Brunswick ward and parts of Layton.

Alan Brunt, of Lord Street in North Shore, works for legal firm Slater Gordon Solutions Motor and lost power to his laptop after the coxial cable was cut at around 4.30am on Tuesday (May 18).

Alan, 45, said: "I am working from home at the moment so on Tuesday I couldn't work until the Virgin Media engineers fixed it later in the day.

"They told me they had needed to fix quite a few of them because they had all been targeted and I'm not sure whether it's just mindless vandalism or if they're after the copper in the cables.

"I had work that needed to be done so it's been a real nuisance, to be honest, I lost a day's work because of it.

"I reported it to the police and I know mine is far from being the only incident."

Neighbour Ena Ross, 79, who lives in the same block, lost her connection to Netflix in the same incident.

She said: "I rely on Netflix and it was annoying to think that the problems I had were because someone was out there cutting the cable."

Around the corner, Iain Ferguson runs the Moores Hotel on Banks Street and lost power to the TV set in his bedroom after his cable was cut at a similar time.

Iain, 64, said: "I've had a stroke and I need to rest on my bed upstairs, on the doctor's advice.

"I like to watch the TV there because it helps me relax - there are other people in the lounge and they may not want to watch what I am watching.

"Unfortunately, because my power cable has been cut, I can't watch it in my bedroom until I get it fixed - and it will probably cost me around £80.

"They have run off with about eight feet of cable, so I'm assuming they've stolen it for the copper.

"it may seem to some that it's a minor issue, but it's an irritating problem and it seems to be affecting people across the town."

Lancashire Police are aware of the issue and a spokesman said: "We were called at 8.42am on Tuesday May 18 regarding a case of criminal damage and a report that approximately eight feet of wire had been taken.

"We understand this is not an isolated incident and we are investigating."