RAIL passengers travelling on the East Coast Main Line have suffered almost 70,000 minutes of delays in less than five months because of cable thieves.

Figures released by Network Rail reveal that between April 1 and August 18 this year there were 269 incidents of cable theft on the route.

John Gelson, spokesman for GNER, which runs services along the East Coast route, said: "This is crime with a high cost, not just financially but also the stress and strain it puts on passengers and rail staff who have to deal with the disruption.

"Improvements to the rail service have to be delayed because obviously replacing cables takes priority."

Robin Davis, GNER's head of operations, added: "Not only are the thieves risking their own lives, but also just one incident like this can cause disruption for thousands of passengers along the long and busy East Coast Main Line.

"We fully support Network Rail and Crimestoppers in their efforts to tackle cable thefts on the railway."

Passenger groups claim such thefts were the results of deep-rooted problems within society.

Robert Sampson, passenger link manager for rail passenger watchdog Passenger Plus, said: "This is ridiculously dangerous. People could get electrocuted.

"Trains go up to 100mph so before you know it a train could be on top of you.

"The transport police has limited funding and does its best in the circumstances. This is a societal problem that the railways and other agencies are left to pick up because it's their property."