A further offender has been jailed for a series of burglaries at electricity substations across east Kent, as Kent Police confirm multiple convictions linked to raids that knocked out power supplies and left local businesses counting losses of more than £220,000.
The Raids That Left Communities in the Dark
Between September and December 2025, a string of deliberate break-ins at electricity substations across east Kent sent power cuts rippling through homes, businesses and high streets from Herne Bay to Ashford. The offenders didn’t look out of place — that was the whole idea. Dressed in high-visibility clothing and armed with specialist tools, they passed themselves off as maintenance workers, then stripped copper earthing and safety equipment from live UK Power Networks sites. Brazen doesn’t quite cover it.
And it worked. For a while.
On the morning of 5 November 2025, UK Power Networks reported a break-in at facilities in Herne Bay — one incident in what police now describe as a wider series of offences targeting substations at Neville Road and Margate Road in Herne Bay, Sandyhurst Lane, Guernsey Way and Eureka Park in Ashford, and further sites in Canterbury and Maidstone.
Who Was Behind It
One of those convicted is Mark Baker, 40, of East Hall Walk, Sittingbourne. He admitted multiple burglary charges and was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court to two years and nine months in custody — having posed as a legitimate workman to get himself through the gates of restricted substation sites before making off with copper and safety equipment.
Kent Police have now confirmed that a further offender has also been sentenced, meaning at least two individuals connected to the east Kent substation raids have appeared before the courts. Detectives describe those involved as “reckless criminals” whose behaviour posed a serious risk to public safety.
The Real Cost to East Kent
The financial damage runs to more than £220,000. That covers repair bills, wrecked equipment and lost trading time for businesses left standing in the dark. Small retailers, hospitality venues and manufacturers are always the most exposed when the power goes without warning — spoiled stock, cancelled orders, the shutters down for the day. The knock-on effects mount up fast.
But there’s a harder calculation beyond the money. Substations carry live electricity, and tampering with that kind of infrastructure doesn’t just put the thief at risk — it can trigger outages affecting anyone depending on power for medical equipment, refrigeration or heating. As one detective put it, these weren’t opportunistic petty thefts. They were attacks on the systems that keep communities running.
What Police Are Asking the Public to Do
Kent Police are urging residents across east Kent to report anything suspicious near substations or other power equipment — chiefly anyone in work-style clothing who can’t be clearly identified. Officers say timely tip-offs could prevent future outages or, in the most serious cases, save lives.
The courts, it turns out, take a dim view of burgling the electricity supply. Both convictions signal that substation theft is being treated as something considerably more serious than nicking lead off a roof, given the potential for widespread harm to the people and services that depend on that infrastructure.
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Key Takeaways
- A further offender has been sentenced in connection with a series of burglaries at electricity substations across Ashford, Canterbury and Herne Bay between September and December 2025
- The raids caused power disruptions and combined financial losses of more than £220,000 to east Kent businesses, including repair costs and lost trading time
- Mark Baker, 40, of Sittingbourne — convicted in a linked case — received two years and nine months at Canterbury Crown Court after admitting multiple burglary charges
What This Means for Kent Residents
If you live or work near an electricity substation in east Kent, Kent Police want to hear from you if anything seems off — an unfamiliar vehicle, someone in a high-vis jacket who can’t produce identification, or unusual activity outside regular working hours. The damage caused by these raids wasn’t limited to the substations themselves; residents across Herne Bay, Ashford and Canterbury lost power, and those relying on electricity for medical equipment or food storage faced particular difficulties. With multiple convictions now secured, police say the message to anyone thinking of trying something similar is straightforward enough: the courts are taking this seriously, and so are they.