Thieves stole a 70-metre length of high-voltage copper cable from the railway line between Bradford and New Pudsey causing travel misery for commuters.

Police received reports of the damage early yesterday and it took six hours before full services could operate as normal at 7.48am.

One service was cancelled and another eight were delayed.

As engineers worked to resolve the problem, the line was being signalled manually meaning only two trains could travel between Bradford Interchange and Leeds every hour in each direction.

Network Rail said the theft had occurred on the line between the Mill Lane in Bradford and an unmanned level crossing on the outskirts of the city towards New Pudsey station, known as Duckett’s Crossing.

Northern Rail warned that there could be some delays on later services as scheduled journeys coincided with the resumption of trains which were delayed.

A British Transport Police spokesman said: “Officers are investigating damage and theft of signalling cable from the line close to New Pudsey train station, Bradford. It is believed about 70 metres of cable was stolen during the incident, which was reported to police at 1.41am.

“Officers are making inquiries into the incident and are working to establish the identities of those involved.

“The act of stealing cable is extremely dangerous and we want to hear from anyone with any information about this incident.

“What the thieves don’t realise is that they are working on live cable, carrying up to 25,000 volts, which can cause extensive burns. By attempting to steal it they are seriously putting their lives at risk.

“Anyone who has any information about the incident, or who saw any suspicious activity in the area this week is asked to come forward.”

Anyone with any information should call British Transport Police on 0800 405040, quoting number 34 of October 8, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Last week, the Telegraph & Argus reported that thefts of metal from roads and railways are soaring across Bradford as the global prices of materials such as copper and iron continue to boom.

Bradford Council has had to spend £35,000 from its highways budget to replace stolen grids from drains and is now starting to use plastic ones to combat the thefts.