Hundreds lose phone and internet as gang strips half a kilometre of copper wire

Hundreds of houses and businesses in South Galway were left without telephone and broadband coverage when thieves stole more than half a kilometre of wire from telegraph poles in the area.

The copper wire was taken from four poles in the Tubber area, south of Gort, late on Thursday night or early on Friday morning – the culprits even knocked over one of the poles.

It is expected that the copper wire will be sold on and the Gardaí are appealing to scrap metal dealers to be on the look-out for someone selling it.

But serious concern was expressed for the safety of elderly people living alone who were without the use of a landline all weekend and in the early days of this week.

Cllr Gerry Finnerty from Gort said that it was “a mindless act or thuggery” in that many elderly people living alone did not have the use of a phone in the event of an emergency occurring.

The theft of the telephone wires also ground a number of businesses to a standstill as they could not connect to broadband.

See full story in this week’s new-look compact Connacht Tribune.