Thieves are being warned they will be caught “green- handed” if they steal copper from United Utilities’ electricity substations.
The utility giant has teamed up with forensic security specialists, SmartWater, to use the special chemical-water on its cables, which glows green under ultraviolet light and makes them easier to trace if stolen.
This, say bosses, “acts as irrefutable proof of ownership” and makes it harder for thieves to sell on to scrap merchants and recyclers.
United Utilities’ central engineering services manager Steve Cox said: “Besides the cost of replacing stolen copper cabling, its theft also causes a serious risk to the security of power supplies to our customers. Tampering with substations is extremely dangerous and people are putting their lives at risk every time they break in.”