She said: “We capped off the gas supply as quickly as possible to make the area completely safe.

“The incident was caused by the removal of copper pipe from a property, gas supplies in the local area have not been affected and the network is safe and secure.

“Tampering with gas pipes and equipment poses a real danger and the sad thing is the small amount of copper removed won’t be worth much at all.

“This is quite rare however as most people are aware of just how dangerous it is to wilfully damage a gas pipe.”

The Mirfield incident comes a few days after a man was hospitalised while trying to steal electrical cabling from a disused power station in Leeds.

The 29-year-old man from Morley was admitted to Leeds General Infirmary last Wednesday evening after suffering serious burns to his body.

Officers were called to the hospital at around 7pm by a doctor but the man later discharged himself and refused to speak to detectives about the incident.

Inspector Damien Miller, of the Holbeck Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “The fact is they are not only risking their lives, but they are also putting the lives of other members of the public at risk.

“This is particularly important when thieves break into sites, because young children could then easily access these sites and put themselves at danger.

“I would urge criminals to consider the life-threatening risks they are taking, and I would also urge parents to warn their children of the risks they would be taking when entering or playing on disused industrial sites that are often the target for such thefts.”

Anyone with any information about the Mirfield incident can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.