Ayrshire has emerged as a hot spot for power line thefts in what ScottishPower have called a summer ‘spree’ of the dangerous criminal act.

Since May, around 40 theft incidents have been recorded, causing power interruptions to more than 300 homes, and resulting in one man being hospitalised after suffering serious burns following an attempted theft in Edinburgh.

Ayrshire has seen the most incidents, with around 20 thefts across the region.

Police Scotland are working closely with the power company, and courts take the matter very seriously.

In May a 54-year-old man was sentenced to eight months in prison following an attempted theft in Leven last year.

The man was seriously injured when he tried to cut through a live 11,000 volt cable, and the attempted theft caused a major power cut and damage worth £60,000.

With lighter evenings and improving weather conditions, criminal gangs have been active across most parts of the ScottishPower Energy Networks area coveringall of Central and Southern Scotland.

Since May, power line thefts have been recorded in the following locations: * Ayrshire: 20 incidents * Lanarkshire: 6 * Central and Fife: 5 * Edinburgh & The Borders: 4 * Glasgow: 3 * Dumfries and Galloway: 2 The criminals are typically taking major risks that could lead to death or serious injury by cutting down live power lines that can carry up to 11,000 volts of electricity.

Their actions could also cause fires in nearby properties, which happened in Greenock after a theft in November 2013.

ScottishPower Energy Networks slammed the callous criminals.

Guy Jefferson, Distribution Network Director at SP Energy Networks, said: “The criminal gangs are out of control, and it is only a matter of time before we see a fatality.

"In the last month we have seen one man taken to hospital with serious burns, and it could easily have been even worse.

"One wrong move in the vicinity of 11,000 volts of electricity can result in instant death.

“What is more concerning is the total disregard that these gangs show for general members of the public.

“They are all too aware that their actions can result in power cuts and even house fires to nearby homes, but they couldn’t care less about the harm they cause.

“We are working closely with Police Scotland across our network area, with a number of positive leads being investigated.

“We would also encourage residents to report any suspicious behaviour they see near our power lines.

“Our emergency phone line is open 24-hours a day, and we are happy to pay up to £10,000 for information that leads to a conviction.”