THIEVES who stripped the copper off railway signal cables caused a whole day of disruption to train users yesterday.
The criminals are thought to have struck on Thursday night, setting fire to cables on the track near Batley.
Yesterday, signalling problems meant trains travelling through Leeds scheduled to call at Dewsbury and Huddersfield could not pass through Dewsbury train station.
The Manchester Airport and Manchester Victoria services were instead diverted through Wakefield.
Many services were cancelled with severe delays across the region.
A spokesman for Network Rail said: “We have regular problems with people trying to steal the cables that carry the signals.
“They set fire to the cables so it is easier to strip back and carry the copper.
“We suspect it is thieves but it could have been vandals.
“There will be a lot of work to do on the tracks to get the services back to normal.
The news comes following the announcement of a four-day rail strike after Easter which will cause major disruptions to the rail network.
Four days of stoppages will start on the Tuesday after the Easter bank holiday weekend, hitting returning holidaymakers and millions of commuters.
The unions are fighting plans to cut 50 signalling jobs, 1,500 maintenance jobs and alter working hours, amid claims that the changes could compromise safety.
