Copper thieves left southern N.B. community without Bell service for weeks

If Allan Speight wants to make a phone call, he has to drive about eight kilometres down the road to the Welsford Irving gas station.

This has been going on since Jan. 3, when someone stole more than a kilometre's worth of Bell’s copper cable from the area.

“If anything happens, I have no way to get any help. … no one can get a hold of me,” said Speight, who lives in Clarendon, about 35 kilometres northwest of Saint John.

He is still without Bell service at his home and doesn’t ever have cellular service.

David Marcille, a Bell spokesperson, said in an email that crews are working to repair the damage and expect service to return “by early next week.”

Marcille said branches needed to be cleared to allow access to the damaged lines.

As Bell worked to restore service, the Grand Bay-Westfield RCMP made three arrests in the case, Sgt. Ben Comley said.

A 30-year-old woman, a 37-year-old man and a 36-year-old man were arrested on Jan. 14 in Clarendon, near where the theft took place.

Comely said the individuals were found with about 100 kilograms of copper at a residence off Highway 101 that one of them was renting.

They were arrested and charges were laid Thursday in provincial court for possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. 

Whether that is the same copper that is leaving Speight and roughly 135 other Bell customers without service is still under investigation.

Speight said he has been driving to the gas station to call Bell for updates on repairs.

“They'll tell you that they're working on it right now, and there's nobody there,” he said.

Marcille said the work by local Bell teams has been going on "continuously to restore service as quickly as possible.”