FEN Radio was off air for nearly two days after thieves stole a length of copper cabling from its transmitter tower. It was the first time we had ever been off air for something like this, said Richard Grant, programme controller. The station is the mos

FEN Radio was off air for nearly two days after thieves stole a length of copper cabling from its transmitter tower.

"It was the first time we had ever been off air for something like this," said Richard Grant, programme controller.

The station is the most listened to commercial station in the Fens, and dozens of listeners bombarded the studios in Church Mews, Wisbech, with text messages and phone calls asking what happened.

The station went off air last Wednesday shortly after 9pm and did not return until 1.20pm on Friday.

Station bosses had to hastily re-organise affairs, using the Fen Radio frequency to combine with its sister station at King's Lynn, KLFM.

"People kept asking 'where have you gone'," said Mr Grant. "We had to tell them, initially, we didn't know,until we discovered the theft."

He said the length of cable was stolen from the water tower at Friday Bridge which houses the station's transmitter.

"Lightning rods were also stolen at the same time from the tower," he said. "It was obvious whoever did it wanted the copper for selling off as scrap."

Mr Grant said the station would be looking at its security to try and ensure such a theft did not in future cause them disruption.

He said: "We have been on air continuously since October 3 1999, and although we have had technical faults very occasionally, this was the first time anything like this had ever happened.