Drain Covers = Scrap Metal?!
Sounds ridicilous – but rarely this is true!
Thieves have been escalating the area and have been stealing man hole covers to sell on as scrap metal?
Pc Steve Day said: “These thefts seem to occur at night and in remote locations.
“Without question, a missing cover poses a serious risk to anyone using the road.
“If the wheel of a motorcycle, bicycle or even a car got stuck in one of these holes, then the consequences could be very serious in deed. It could kill someone.”
Pc Day also said: “We are working closely with the county council and scrap metal merchants to tackle these crimes.”The difficulty we have is the time and location of the thefts. It means there are very few witnesses and tend to rely on the vigilance of scrap metal dealers.”
Robert Gundle, manager at AE Burgess and Sons, in Belgrave, said high grade iron can sell for up to £220 a ton.
He said: “The price has been quite high for the past couple of years.
“If someone approaches us with a van load of manhole covers we immediately know something is wrong and will contact the police.
“We try to be vigilant but sometimes they are hard to spot if they are mixed in with a lot of other scrap iron.
“I also think the thieves often take the covers out of the area to sell as scrap.”
