Metal thieves have struck at a quarry near Elgin where they removed a quantity of copper cabling valued at around £12,000.
The raiders entered the Cloddach Quarry at Miltonduff – a storage area for sand and gravel – and cheekily replaced the site’s security padlock with a new one before leaving.
Police say that they believe the theft happened at some point between noon on Saturday and shortly after 6am on Monday morning.
With a large amount of cabling removed on the site police believe that the thieves must have been on the grounds for some considerable time.
An employee at the site said: “The cable was stripped and they cut the live wire – they were very lucky that they did not hurt themselves.
“It has caused a lot of downtime with having to refit cables – I find it annoying because they don’t seem to realise the danger of cutting live cables.”
Incidents of metal thefts have soared throughout the country as soaring prices have encouraged thieves to take extraordinary risks in obtaining copper, bronze or lead.
Police are asking that anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the area call them on the 101 non-emergency line or via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.