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Essex railway death linked to cable theft
The death of a man who was electrocuted near an Essex railway line, causing delays and power line disruption to the local area, has been linked to cable theft.
Officers found the body of a man in his 40s after reports of disruption in Hadleigh. They revealed that one line of inquiry is that his death was related to an attempted cable theft.
During the past 12 months, both Network Rail and police forces have issued warnings over the dangers associated with stealing railway cables.
These incidents have led to widespread disruption for rail commuters.
A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesman explained that officers were first called to Castle Lane in Hadleigh at 6.51am on Wednesday after reports of disruption and a body on the railway embankment.
"BTP, Essex Police, East of England Ambulance Service and Network Rail attended the scene and the body of a man in his 40s was found beside the line. He appears to have been electrocuted," he said.
"This death is currently being treated as unexplained. The possibility that this death is related to an attempted cable theft is one line of inquiry at this time."
Copyright Press Association 2012
