Police have charged men, including two from Havering, who allegedly worked with BT staff to steal thousands of pounds of underground cables.
Suspected thieves were arrested at home as police raided a Dagenham scrapyard on Thursday morning.
John Harding, 51, of Meadow Road, Romford, and Tommy Taylor, 35, of Meadow Lane, Wickford, were arrested at the scrapyard.
They have been charged with conspiracy to steal and been bailed to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on January 16.
Jamie Ratford, 32, of Dunedin House, Fernill Street, Woolwich and Ryan Wiley, 25, of Ravensbourne Place, Gidea Park, were also charged with conspiracy to steal.
They have been bailed to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on January 16.
Jamie Summerscales, 38, of Springfield Road, West Ham, and Simon Read, 39, of Station Road, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court charged with conspiracy to steal on Saturday.
They have been bailed to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on March 21.
Two BT workers, a 54-year-old man from Hertfordshire and a 58-year-old man from Essex, and a 42-year-old woman from Essex, have been bailed to March 20 pending further inquiries.
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