A BLAKEDOWN man and two others from Stourbridge have each been put behind bars for 18 months after the theft of valuable overhead telecommunications cable brought chaos to homes and a pub business in the Iverley area.

Judge Michael Challinor ruled Jonathan Lowe and James Webley used a Land Rover to tear down the cable off telephone poles before it was taken to the home of Stephen Noott to be cut into smaller lengths.

"People looking to make easy money by attacking services and utilities must know they will go straight to prison," he told the trio at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

"This was the deliberate theft of telecom cables for its scrap value," added the judge. "You knew full well the invonvenience that would follow."

The harm of the offending, he went on, had been "increased by the fact that homes had been blacked out and a business was not able to function."

There had also been the risk that an emergency could have arisen, said the judge, that could not have been dealt with in time because of the cable theft.

Lowe 36 of Field Lane, Oldswinford and 30-year-old Webley of Belbroughton Road, Blakedown both pleaded guilty to stealing cable, maintaining they had found it while "off-roading" in the Land Rover.

The judge, however, after carefully considering the full facts of the case, totally rejected that basis as he added: "The true picture jumps out.

"The two men were involved in the theft of the cable, which was stripped from the poles. They then arranged to leave it with Noott and he knew he was handling cable that had been recently stolen."

Noot, 28, of Queensway, Wollescote, admitted handling the stolen cable and all men showed no reaction as they were lead away to begin their custodial sentences.

Mark Phillips prosecuting said 600 metres of cable were taken cutting off telephone and broadband services for 50 homes and a business in Iverley.

He told the court it cost £6,700 to carry out repairs and replace the cable, which was valued at £1,200 and it was nearly five weeks before services were fully restored.

Lowe and Webley were seen by a neighbour in the early hours leaving 70 metres of the cable at the home of Noott and when police officers were called to the premises they found him cutting it up into smaller lengths.

The other 535 metres of cable that had hung between 11 telegraph poles in Brake Lane, Iverley had not been recovered, added Mr Phillips.

The judge said he had to pass a sentence that would act as a deterrent to dissuade others tempted to go out and steal valuable propery for its scrap value while causing great disruption to people in the area.