DOVER — Police in Dorset say someone has cut down several telephone lines to steal the copper.

Police say about 800 feet of cable was cut from utility poles along a street in East Dover recently.

People have been taking copper wiring from downed power lines, especially after damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene. But Dover Police Chief Bob Edwards told the Brattleboro Reformer this was the first instance of someone daring enough to cut down lines in use.

Police were alerted to the theft after a phone outage report.

Edwards said scrap metal theft has become a huge problem with the rising prices of copper.