Copper cable thieves have struck again in St Neots, UK, causing significant disruption to Openreach services in the Cambridgeshire town.

It's the second time the vandals have targeted the town in the space of a month.

ISP Review reported that the copper cables were likely stolen in the early hours of yesterday morning (March 17).

Openreach confirmed to the publication that the vandals behind the theft targeted the "same section” of the town as they struck the first time around. The incident occurred on a bridge to the south of the town, along the A428.

The company confirmed to DCD today (March 18) that more than 1,000 meters of underground cables were deliberately damaged overnight.

“We are deeply disappointed that this community near St Neots is, once again, facing the consequences of criminal acts targeting our network," said an Openreach spokesperson. "These attacks cause extensive disruption to local lives, threaten the safety of vulnerable individuals, and result in significant inconvenience for residents and businesses.

“Our engineers are assessing the full extent of the damage. Repairs start this evening and will continue throughout the week, as work is restricted to overnight hours due to the location on the busy A428. We are committed to restoring service as quickly and safely as possible."

Copper theft is a common challenge for telecom companies such as BT subsidiary Openreach due to the high value of the material.

Last year, Openreach suffered copper thefts in the New Forest, Hampshire, and County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

However, Essex Police last year jailed a gang responsible for the thefts of copper broadband and phone cables totaling an estimated £1 million ($1.30m) including indirect costs from Openreach across several counties in the UK.

Openreach is currently in the process of deploying its fiber network across the UK. The company is aiming to cover 25 million premises by the end of next year, and has currently passed 17 million.

The company previously told DCD that it's worked hard to clamp down on the copper theft and attacks that have impacted its network. Openreach said its network is protected by an alarm system which notifies of any malicious cuts or theft. It has also marked its copper with forensic technology to track potential sales of stolen material.