A Perthshire hotel owner says he has been left £10,000 out of pocket after thieves stole and damaged copper cable from his business.
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 was also 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.
Copper cable to supply energy to Angus Hotel
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 now.”
Police originally estimated that £60,000 worth of cable had been stolen, however 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.
“But equally, all the damaged stuff we can sell for scrap, so I think overall it’s probably going to cost us about £10,000.”
Police are still unsure when exactly the theft took place, however Murray believes it was likely during daylight.
He added: “We’re currently downloading all the CCTV video onto 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.”
Appeal for CCTV footage
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a report was received on Thursday June 2 regarding the theft of copper cabling from the Terminus Street area of Blairgowrie.
“The theft is believed to have taken place over the previous week and inquiries remain ongoing.
“Officers are appealing for anyone with information, or potential CCTV footage from the area, to please come forward.
“You can call police on 101, quoting incident 2577 of June 2, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, if you wish to remain anonymous.”
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