A piggyback cable (10) has a copper conductor (2) with a triple extruded insulation system including a conductor screen (13), an insulation layer (14), and an insulation screen (15), an inner sheath (16) surrounding this insulation system, and an outer sheath (18), the space between the inner (16) and outer (18) sheaths being filled with protective elements. The protective elements have thermoplastic (21) elements arranged together to form at least one layer helically wound around the said cable (10).