Electricity theft offences jump over 10-year period in East of England
Latest figures show a rise in reports to some of the region's police forces
The number of electricity thefts in our region are on the increase, according to new figures.
Police forces including Cambridgeshire saw a 53.85% jump in offences between 2012-13 and 2022-23, with the annual rate of offences rising from 1.55 per 100,000 people to 2.38.
And at least 10 police force areas have seen a doubling in the crime across England and Wales, according to the data.
Richard Harvey is an electrical installation safety engineer at charity Electrical Safety First:
"Meters are generally bypassed due to financial pressures or links to crime, but it's highly dangerous; it's illegal, it could lead to a fire and could cost your life," he said.
"People maybe don't realise it's illegal and there's massive fines involved; if left for a while, it could lead to severe overheating which could lead to fire and it's not your own life but other people's lives you could be risking as well.
"What people should do (if struggling to pay bills) is contact their energy supplier to try and find a resolution and certainly not mess with any equipment."
What is electricity theft?
Electricity theft is where meters are tampered with or bypassed to avoid paying charges.
It can leave live wires exposed and will often involve bypassing fuse boxes, which can lead to appliances overheating and possibly catch fire.
How to spot the signs of an electrical theft
"It will involve messing directly with the equipment, maybe removing lids which could lead exposed live parts and if you come into contact with those live parts or anyone else, it could lead to a fatal electric shock," Mr Harvey said.
"If there is a lid or a cover that's missing, there could be a smell of burning and within electrical overheating, it's generally a smell of fish or there could be a discolouration of cables going in and out of the meter.
"If you feel the metering equipment has been tampered with, contact your landlord or the meter supplier and explain your concerns."