Rewards of up to £1,000 have been offered to help catch cable thieves who left hundreds of homes in Croydon without phone or broadband.

The charity Crimestoppers and BT's Openreach division today appealed for information following a spate of cable-cutting in Addiscombe, Waddon and New Cross last month.

Engineers carried out emergency repairs on cables in Stafford Road, Waddon, and Clifton Way, New Cross, after damage to phone and internet brought down service to homes and businesses at about 9.15pm on August 20.

Another set of cables was damaged along Woodside Green, at the junction with Spring Lane in Addiscombe, at about 9pm on August 25.

Regan Hook, London campaigns manager for Crimestoppers, said: "Theft and damage of cables is not a victimless crime because it can affect all of us if we don’t have access to services we use on an almost daily basis.

"Businesses can lose out financially, and families might not be able to make that all important call, so do the right thing and contact Crimestoppers anonymously and tell us who is responsible for this series of incidents."

Richard Ginnaw, head of Openreach's network resilience unit, said: "The theft or criminal damage of underground cables which result in the loss of vital services such as telephone and broadband connections, really does impact the heart of the local community, and has a real impact into people’s everyday lives. We really need your help to identify and apprehend the people responsible."

A reward of up to £1,000 is being offered for information that leads to a conviction.

Anyone with information any can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through an online form the charity's website.