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B.C. Hydro says thieves made off with 1.3 kilometres’ worth of copper cables after opening manholes in Surrey over the span of two months.
The utility said that the theft first came to light on Christmas Eve last year, when someone driving along 64 Avenue in Surrey ran over a manhole with its lid removed.
When crews investigated, they found copper cables had been cut in 14 maintenance holes and had been stolen from three manholes on the stretch — amounting to 1.3 kilometres and 8,000 pounds.
B.C. Hydro says that reports of copper cable theft have spiked — more than 300 per cent over the last 18 months — and it can be very dangerous.
B.C. Hydro says that three manholes between 159 and 162 Street, on 64 Avenue in Surrey, B.C., were raided by copper thieves. (Sohrab Sandhu/CBC)
“Open and unsecured holes, they obviously pose a significant risk to drivers and pedestrians,” said spokesperson Susie Rieder in an interview.
“[Thefts] can also cause life-threatening electrical shocks from the exposed or damaged wiring,” she added. “Also, of course, major, major safety risks for our crews.”
Rieder said the rising value of copper makes it attractive for thieves.
“These are organized thieves. And what they’re doing is they’re using vehicles such as trucks and winches to pull these really heavy cables from the underground infrastructure,” she said.
The utility says that it believes the theft happened between October and December of 2025.
It was one of 22 copper thefts over the last 18 months, according to B.C. Hydro.
Given the underground copper cables are typically neutral wiring and removing them doesn’t usually result in power outages, Rieder says thefts can go undetected for months.
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Those working in the salvage and metals industry in B.C. have been calling for updated regulations and measures to help businesses guard against copper theft.
The number of instances of copper wire theft grew by about 200 per cent annually from 2021 to 2023, according to estimates from the Canadian Telecommunications Association.