EV chargers hit by spate of cable thefts

Metal thieves have targeted dozens of council-owned electric vehicle chargers across Sheffield.

The city council said at one stage just two of its 27 chargers were in use after being damaged by thieves stealing cabling.

Joe Otten, chair of the street scene committee, said it was believed the cables were being taken for their scrap value, describing the incidents as “immensely frustrating”.

He said the authority was working alongside South Yorkshire Police and using CCTV in a bid to crackdown on the thefts.

Otten said: “The rapid chargers have been hit by thefts, we think they are being stolen for the scrap value."

He said the cost of replacing the cables - sometimes hundreds of pounds - was not covered by the council but that the authority "cannot reasonably expect the supplier to keep replacing cables that just keep getting stolen".

“It’s a challenging crime to police and it's immensely frustrating," he said.

"We all want to move transport to a lower carbon footprint, there are grants to help us get these charging stations rolled out and we have been spending that money and been putting the chargers in, but then it doesn’t work because of these thefts.”

Electric vehicle chargers are funded through the Government’s Getting Building Fund.

The council’s 27 rapid charging points, which fit a range of electric cars, vans and taxis, are available in council car parks and on-street parking.

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