Eight held over Metro cable theft

Eight people have been arrested over the theft of cabling from a railway network on Tyneside.

Four men and a woman were arrested in South Shields and a further three men were detained after raids in North and South Yorkshire.

The arrests relate to the theft of cable from the Tyne and Wear Metro system at East Boldon and Pelaw.

British Transport Police (BTP) said all those arrested had been released on bail pending further inquiries.

A BTP spokesman said cable worth £500 was also seized during the operation.