Ministers have announced that they are looking to implement an e-money payment system that they believe would make it easier to track down scrap metal thieves in the future.

Home Secretary Theresa May sent a written statement to MPs, proposing the measures that would be put in place once all cash transactions are banned under new proposals. Dealers will face unlimited fines if they are caught trading the metal for cash under the new rules.

The measures are intended to come into force in April and will hopefully help to cut down the amount of scrap metal thefts in the UK by creating a paper trail that would lead back to thieves.

A recent report from the Transport Select Committee (TSC) claimed that scrap metal thieves stealing cables led to 3.8 million people experiencing delays or cancellations in train journeys last year, with hospitals and homes also suffering as a result of thieves.

The report claims that as many as eight incidents occur everyday, with TSC chairman Louise Ellman commenting “Current legislation for regulating scrap metal dealers is out of date.

“We need urgent reform to improve the audit trail generated by the scrap metal industry so that criminals selling stolen metal into the trade can be identified much more easily.”