Thieves steal 140m of telephone cable in County Donegal
Thieves have stolen nearly 140m of overhead cable from telegraph poles in County Donegal.
Around 70 homes in the Cranford area of Milford were left without a landline telephone service for almost three days after the incident early on Sunday 29 August.
Irish police said the cable was cut at both ends with bolt cutters before it was removed.
The full service to all affected customers was restored on Tuesday.
Eircom engineers responding to complaints of no service in the area discovered the theft on Monday. The incident was then reported to gardai.
A spokesperson at Milford Garda Station said a significant amount of wire had been taken.
"We believe the theft was for the copper that is contained in the wire itself."
Gardai said it may have taken the thieves up to an hour to remove the wire.
"It is an unusual theft and we would appeal for witnesses who were on the road on Sunday morning or who maybe saw anyone working with the wire," the spokesperson said.