Con men steal three miles of railway track

A group of German railway workers were conned into dismantling three miles of railway track.

Two men, claiming to be from German rail company Deutsche Bahn, ordered them to remove the track, in Lohra, Hessen, and load it onto a waiting lorry.

The con only came to light when the workers asked Deutsche Bahn for their money and were told the job had never been ordered.

Police believe the con men were thieves who carted off the steel track and sold it for scrap metal.

DB spokesman Hartmut Lange said: "I have never seen anything like this. We've had cases where cable was stolen, but never the tracks."