Just playing with reflections....

Warning after £83,000 track theft

A man who stole 171.6 tonnes of railway track could have caused a serious train crash, police say.

Anthony Porretta, 53, from Newport, south Wales, was jailed for two years and nine months at Bristol Crown Court after he admitted the theft.

British Transport Police said he used a crane to load five lorries with the old track on the main line running between south Wales and London Paddington.

He then sold the metal, worth £83,000, to a scrap merchant in Newport.

British Transport Police, which carried out an investigation into the theft, said the track had previously been removed by engineers from Acton Turnville, in South Gloucestershire, for a renovation project and placed it at the side of the railway line.

During the early hours of 1 December, 2006, unemployed Porretta, arrived to steal the metal, they said.

'Strong message'

Acting Detective Inspector Jon Rawson from British Transport Police said: "In a worst-case scenario Porretta's actions could have caused a train to crash.

"There are safety procedures to follow when removing redundant track from beside the railway line, which Porretta did not follow.

"A piece of rail track could have struck a passing train and caused a serious rail incident. Fortunately this did not happen."

Speaking after Porretta's sentencing on Monday, he added: "[We] hope that it sends out a strong message that this type of crime will not be tolerated.

"The fact that this man has received a substantial prison sentence should serve as a warning to any thieves who steal from the railway infrastructure."

Police say metal theft is up nationally by at least 150% and is estimated to cost British industry around £360m annually.

They say there is a particular problem on the railways.

Now hang on, I'm not talking about Mr Plod spying on the local doggers here, nor am I referring to Peeping Tom peeking through Mr & Mrs Exhibitionist's window... ...sorry guys, nothing as exciting or salacious as that.

I am talking about affairs though... Welsh affairs that is... or to be strictly precise, the Institute of Welsh Affairs.

Yes that's right, we have an institute for affairs down here in the Principality and it has nothing to do with sheep!

The Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA), founded in 1987, is an independent think-tank, which acts as a bridge between public policy makers, the academic community, business and non-profit organisations. It operates by commissioning research, organising seminars, lectures and conferences to facilitate debate, and by publishing reports and policy papers.

Sounds impressive doesn't it?

Well let me tell you, in its study Futures for the Heads of the Valleys the IWA's main recommendation states "the south Wales Valleys should appoint a London-style mayor to help rejuvenate the region."

Excuse me, but if London's experience with Messrs Livingstone and Johnson is anything to go by it sounds like a complete waste of money to me!

Perhaps I ought to set up an independent think-tank to look into the workings of the independent think-tank that acts as a bridge between public policy makers....

I could call myself Watching Them, Watching Us, Watching You, or WathWUWY if you prefer. There's bound to be a lot of money in it!