Areas of Canonbury have been left without internet and phone services following an attempted cable theft.

Hundreds of homes were left without broadband or a telephone connection when thieves cut through a line in Willow Bridge Road on Thursday morning between 9am and 10am – and engineers are still working to repair the damage.

Crime fighting charity Crimestoppers and BT Openreach have now launched an appeal for information about the incident and a reward of up to £1,000 has been offered.

The repair operation has been described as “complex and time-consuming” because engineers have to repair each line individually.

Director of Operations for Crimestoppers, Roger Critchell, said: “Cable theft is not just an issue of financial concern to companies, but can also create significant hardship to people living in the areas affected. We would encourage anyone who might have information regarding cable thefts to contact Crimestoppers anonymously. No personal information is taken, calls are not traced or recorded, and you will not have to go to court.”

A BT Openreach spokesperson added: “We apologise to customers in the Canonbury area and want to reassure them that engineers are working to restore their service as soon as possible. We would encourage anyone who might have information regarding cable thefts to report it to Crimestoppers in order to prevent other people from having to suffer the disruptive effects of this type of crime.”

Anyone with information on this incident should contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through www.crimestoppers-uk.org.