The LED lights used to light up the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge have been left powerless following the theft of 90 feet of copper cables valued at over $1.6 million.

In a statement today, the Guyana Police Force announced that it is probing the high-powered theft. The Police suspect that the cables were stolen sometime between midnight on the 23rd August and early morning of the 1st September.

The Police statement said its initial investigations revealed that the bridge is equipped with LED lights attached to steel poles along its high span. The lights, which are powered by a generator beneath the bridge, are used to display various colours and were last operated on August 23, 2026.

An electrical maintenance engineer attempted to illuminate the bridge in the colours of Trinidad and Tobago’s national flag in observance of that country’s Independence Anniversary on Monday night, and it was then that it was realised that only the lights on the northern side were functioning.

The engineer and his team inspected the southern side of the bridge and discovered that the copper cables had been cut and removed from the metal trunking box.

The matter was reported to the Providence Police Station, and detectives visited the scene.

The scene was photographed and processed, according to the Police with the CCTV footage from the area being reviewed.

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