A NEWPORT man was electrocuted by an 11,000 volt cable as he tried to steal copper from an electricity substation on Saturday.

Workers at Panteg steelworks found the man's body at around 11.30am on Saturday.

He was in his early forties and was identified by police, but has not yet been named.

The dead man was found on a narrow footpath which runs alongside the steelworks' perimeter fence.

Detectives believe he was electrocuted sometime after 9am on Saturday morning, as he and two other Newport men tried to steal copper from an electricity substation on the site in broad daylight.

The live cable he is thought to have stripped was carrying a lethal 11,000 volts of electricity.

A post-mortem will be carried out today.

Officers sealed the site, off Station Road near the Griffithstown railway museum, on Saturday and called in a Home Office pathologist.

Police have also tracked down the two Newport men who were with the man.

They are now helping police with their inquiries.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Mogg told the Argus that Gwent has seen an explosion in copper thefts during the last 12 to 18 months.

Terrifyingly, officers arriving to investigate this electrocution found two other men making an unrelated attempt to steal copper from the Panteg site, and arrested them.

"People are putting their lives at risk for a few quid," he said.

"We have seen one or two injuries over the last 12 months.

"Now, tragically, we have had a death."

It is believed to be the first fatality of its kind in Gwent.

Recently the price of metals, including copper used in cabling, has soared and thieves are targeting industrial sites and electricity substations before selling on the metal to scrap dealers.

They remove the plastic coating from the cable, then strip the copper - despite the fact it may be insulating a live wire.

DCI Mogg warned: "This is extremely dangerous. We need to tackle not just the thieves, but the dealers they sell to."

Police are appealing for witnesses who saw anything suspicious between 6am and 10am on Saturday to call Gwent Police on 01633 838111.