Thieves who stole almost a mile of phone and internet line caused “significant damage and unacceptable disruption”.

Broadband provider Openreach says around 1,400 metres of cable was stolen in Shenley in August.

The underground metal cabling was taken from the Radlett Lane area between Friday August 19 and August 20.

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Around 970 homes and businesses were impacted by the theft and Openreach said on September 2 that some services still have not been fully restored.

Radlett Lane was closed between August 25 and 28 as engineers worked to replace the cables and reconnect customers, which needs to be done one by one.

Watford Observer: Radlett Lane had to be closed while repairs were completedRadlett Lane had to be closed while repairs were completed

The damage will cost thousands of pounds to repair.

An Openreach spokesperson said: “These attacks on our network have caused significant damage and unacceptable disruption to the lives of people through the loss of phone and broadband services.

“Our engineers have been working tirelessly to get customers back into service, reconnecting each line one by one. This complex work will be ongoing until services are fully restored.”

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Police are investigating the theft and anyone with information can report online at herts.police.uk/report, quoting crime reference 41/67397/22.

Openreach says suspicious activity linked to cable theft includes lifting manhole lids and 4x4 vehicles in fields late at night.

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