Copper theft will cost hotelier £10,000

A PERTHSHIRE hotel owner says he has been left £10,000 out of pocket after thieves stole and damaged copper cable.

The cable was going to be laid at the Angus Hotel in Blairgowrie to supply the building with extra power.

But some of it was taken from a yard next to the hotel between May 27 and June 2, while 100m of the cable left behind was damaged.

Owner Murray Scott says that while he will be able to sell the remaining cable for scrap, he believes about £10,000 has been lost.

He said: “This is a cable that we’re putting in to get a new electrical supply from the substation on a yard road over to the hotel.

“We’re struggling a bit with the current supply here so that was our solution for that.

“While they were stealing it they obviously used a big grinder or a saw or something to cut the cable.

“They’ve damaged approximately 75m to 100m so it’s not fit for purpose.”

Police originally estimated that £60,000 worth of cable had been stolen, but they have since said that this valuation may not be accurate.

Murray said: “We’re going to have to replace something like 150m.

“In the worst-case scenario, that would be another £24,000, since the price of copper has gone up due to inflation.

“All the damaged stuff we can sell for scrap, so I think overall it’s probably going to cost us about £10,000.”

He added: “We’re currently downloading all the CCTV video on to a USB stick for the police to review.

“I think the suspicion is that it actually happened in the daytime, kind of in plain sight.

“It must have been at the weekend – not last weekend but the week before. We have now taken measures to ensure the security of the hotel.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “The theft is believed to have taken place over the previous week and inquiries remain ongoing.”