Main Roads grapples with copper cable theft as Mandurah, Rockingham roads left in the dark

Main Roads is urging people to keep on the lookout for copper cable thieves who are contributing to a widespread street light outage across Rockingham and Mandurah.

West Coast Radio listeners have reported outages along Mandurah Road, Ennis Avenue, the Kwinana Freeway and Old Coast Road in Dawesville.

Some street lights have been out for several months, posing a safety risk to drivers.

"The theft of copper cable is a growing issue for Main Roads, but we are working closely with a range of agencies (including WA Police) to mitigate the impacts and prosecute those illegally accessing vital public infrastructure, including assisting with identification of Main Roads’ stolen cable when recovered," a Main Roads spokesperson said.

"As a result of copper cable theft, there are currently lighting outages across the road and path network, and Main Roads is working to restore these as soon as possible . The agency is working on new technologies and solutions to address the issue such as lockable pit lids."

Millions of dollars is spent every year in Western Australia replacing stolen copper cable.

Main Roads asks members of the public to report any cable theft to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Copper cable. PIC: File