Gas pipe thieves put lives at risk

A strong smell of gas was reported by staff working at Mexborough Railway Station on Saturday March 20, shortly after they arrived at work to find copper piping had been stolen from the building.

Det Con Andy Lehman, from British Transport Police, said that a “significant amount of damage” had also been caused in the raid, which happened at some time between the night of March 12 and the following morning.

Det Con Lehman said: “Staff noticed a heavy smell of gas, which resulted in the station being evacuated while gas engineers were called to ensure that the building was made safe.

“This caused serious delays to services which no doubt affected a great deal of passengers.”

Det Con Lehman added: “This incident risked the safety of staff and could have had far worse consequences.

“We are currently viewing CCTV and conducting local enquiries to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice

“Those who access prohibited parts of the railway to commit offences such as these need to think of the potential consequences.”

Anyone with information about the incident should contact BTP free on 0800 405040, quoting incident number 193 of 20/03/2010.