Surrey, B.C. — Thieves have stolen approximately 1.3 kilometres of copper cable from underground infrastructure in Surrey, creating serious safety risks for the public and utility crews, according to BC Hydro.
The thefts were discovered on Christmas Eve 2025, after a driver travelling along 64 Avenue in Surrey struck a manhole that had been left open, prompting an investigation by utility crews. What they found revealed the scale of the damage: copper cables had been cut across 14 maintenance holes and removed from three manholes, amounting to nearly 8,000 pounds of cable taken over a two-month period.
“These open and unsecured holes obviously pose a significant risk to drivers and pedestrians,” said Susie Rieder, a spokesperson for B.C. Hydro. She added that exposed or damaged wiring can also lead to life-threatening electrical shocks and fire hazards, while placing utility workers at heightened risk during repairs.
B.C. Hydro believes the thefts occurred between October and December 2025 and says the operation bore the hallmarks of organized theft. According to Rieder, suspects are believed to have used trucks and industrial winches to extract the heavy underground cables.
“These are not opportunistic thefts,” she said. “The cables are extremely heavy, and removing them requires equipment and coordination.”
Over the past 18 months, B.C. Hydro has recorded 22 copper theft incidents across its network. Because underground copper cables are typically neutral wiring, their removal does not always cause immediate power outages — allowing thefts to go undetected for months.
The issue extends beyond B.C. Hydro. The Canadian Telecommunications Association estimates that incidents of copper wire theft increased by nearly 200 per cent annually between 2021 and 2023, driven largely by rising global copper prices.
Industry groups and salvage operators in British Columbia have been urging governments to tighten regulations on scrap metal sales, improve tracking of high-value metals, and introduce stronger enforcement measures to curb organized theft.
B.C. Hydro says it continues to work with law enforcement and municipal partners to investigate the Surrey incidents and reduce future risks, while urging the public to report open manholes, suspicious activity, or exposed infrastructure immediately.
