A THIEF risked his life to steal 50 metres of railway cable in Burnley this morning.

The man, who leapt on to the railway line near the Reedley Hallows pub, in Barden Lane, shortly before 9am, fled after he was spotted by a Network Rail employee.

Railway bosses said the offender was lucky to escape serious injury or even death.

Network Rail spokesman Keith Lumley said: "What thieves don't realise is the danger they put themselves in.

"They cannot know just what they are stealing — it could very well be high voltage power cable, and there have been instances of thieves being seriously burned and even killed. It simply isn't worth the risk.

“In the first five months of this financial year there have been 11 cable theft incidents across Lancashire and Cumbria, resulting in 41 trains being cancelled and delays to other services totalling 2,500 minutes and for what? The scrap value of the stolen cable is minimal.”

The latest incident did not cause any train delays.

The British Transport Police have now launched an investigation after discovering 50 metres of redundant communications cable, had been stolen.

Forensic officers visited the scene to examine the remaining cable for clues to identify the thief.

A spokesman for the British Transport Police said: “We have launched an investigation after almost 50 metres of cable was stolen from the railway line close to Barden Lane.

“It is difficult to put a price on the cost of the theft at this time.

“I urge anyone who knows anything about this incident to contact police on 0800 40 50 40.”