Manhole Covers Being Stolen
A total of 40 plus metal covers adding up to an estimated £20,000 have been stolen throughout the Walsall area in recent weeks.
Its known that the metal covers can be sold on as scrap metal to the right person. Although there is a new law on being a scrap metal dealer, it seems people are not abiding by it, and by doing this they are causing dangers to others in their area because of the huge holes that are left in the ground,
A total of 14 gully and 28 manhole covers have been taken from streets.
Regarding the matter Council leader Mike Bird has said “someone could be seriously hurt if they fall down a gaping hole and condemned those who are responsible for the thefts”.
“This is a fatality waiting to happen. They only get pennies for them, these are people that don’t give a damn about life or limb,” he said. “The thieves need to be apprehended but so do the scrap dealers.”
ALSO.. in relation to the situation..
“The use of plastic drain covers has been trialed by the council and was considered a success. Subject to funding it could be used throughout the borough and a scrap metal working group was also set up last year and a study showed thefts had reduced by 50 per cent in the past 18 months, but remained a major problem”. – expressandstar
