The thieves worked meticulously and for hours at a time, police say, “systematically” working their way around Hunter Water’s vast Tomago property on a number of nights between November 14 and 26 this year.

And when they were done, the bill for replacing and repairing the copper wire, not to mention the additional cost incurred due to ongoing disruptions to operations, was more than $200,000. 

Two men, who police allege are responsible for at least some of the mass copper wire theft, appeared in Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday for the first time.

Michael Lesley Charlton, 48, of Seaham, has been charged with three counts of larceny with a value greater than $15,000 and three counts of trespass related to alleged copper wire thefts at Tomago Hunter Water between November 14 and his arrest on November 26. 

Mr Charlton, who was represented by solicitor Donna Smith, did not enter any pleas and the matter was adjourned to January 21. 

Meanwhile, Craig Jason Murison, 38, of Anna Bay, has been charged with two counts of larceny with a value greater than $15,000, two counts of trespass and goods in custody. 

Mr Murison, represented by solicitor Stuart Beal, had his matter adjourned to January 11, when he will have to enter a plea. 

Port Stephens police say they launched an investigation after it became clear that someone had been accessing land owned by Hunter Water at Tomago using four-wheel-drives and had removed about 940 kilograms of copper wire from the ground.

Police allege the thieves used a method of digging “pilot holes” with a shovel about 15 or 20 metres apart, severing the wire with a power tool and then using a vehicle to pull hundreds of metres of copper wire out of the ground. 

In large volumes, copper wire can be a profitable commodity; a 100 metres of wire can go for about $3000.