TWO men were lucky to avoid jail after stealing hundreds of pounds worth of cable from a railway line.

Gheorghe Pongori, of William Street in Ravensthorpe, and Ioan Singerean, of Grovesnor Street in Dewsbury, appeared before Kirklees magistrates.

The Hungarian-born men had previously admitted trespassing on the railway and stealing £500 worth of cable.

Pongori, 25, also admitted stealing £200 cable from the lines on a previous date and driving without a licence or insurance.

The cable was stolen from a railway line which runs between Wakefield and Huddersfield.

Magistrates were told that on October 5 police were conducting scrap metal dealer checks at Wilkinson’s metal recycling in Dewsbury.

They noticed Singerean, 24, weighing in a large quantity of copper cable.

He admitted the theft and took officers to Hall Lane at Thornhill where the theft had taken place.

A total of 100 metres of cable had been stolen.

Pongori had committed a similar cable theft on September 3.

Magistrates gave both men a 12-month community order, as a direct alternative to custody.

Singerean was told to complete an eight-week curfew and 100 hours of unpaid work.

Pongori was given a 12-week curfew with 120 hours of unpaid work.

His car was seized as it was used in the commission of a crime.

Both men were also told to pay a £60 victim surcharge.