In pictures: Gang jailed for £1m BT cable theft across East of England

The big picture: The group targeted underground cables in rural areas across Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Wrexham, using 4x4 vehicles with false registration plates to drag out miles of valuable copper cabling and causing widespread disruption to thousands of people.

Why it matters: The thefts caused:

• Disruption to 16,000 customer phone lines
• More than £750,000 in losses to businesses and victims
• Vulnerable people being cut off from emergency services
• Widespread service outages across four counties

How they were caught:

• Police discovered a suspicious 4x4 vehicle in a Cambridgeshire field.
• Forensic evidence led to the identification of a 24-year-old Essex man.
• Further investigation by the serious and organised crime unit identified three more suspects.
• The group was linked to 31 offences over nine months.

What they're saying: Detective Inspector Frazer Low said: "This group caused widespread disruption, across a number of areas in England and Wales over a nine-month period."

He added: "I have absolutely no doubt that the offences caused vulnerable people to be cut off from family, friends and assistance in an emergency."

The bottom line: The gang's activities highlight the serious impact of infrastructure theft on local communities, with costs extending beyond the immediate financial losses to BT Openreach.