Cable theft has been a major problem for the past few years, affecting especially the rail industry but also the power supply and telephony sectors.

It is one of the crime types that seems linked more than most to the wider economic situation, just as lead flashing on church roofs and manhole covers have suddenly become juicy targets for opportunist thieves.

British Transport Police does what it can, but it’s unsurprising the latest figures show that the January just past was the worst ever for cable theft. There were more than 200 thefts in just the first three weeks of 2011.

One good idea is involving scrap metal merchants, who, with the help of some clever cable-marking technology, invisible to the naked eye, know which cable to reject and which is legitimate.

But more good ideas are going to be needed get a real handle on this problem.