Police target rising metal thefts

Lead from school or church roofs is frequently stolen

Police across the UK are targeting metal thieves in a two-day operation against a crime said to be costing the economy £360m every year.

Drain covers, lead from church roofs and railway signal cables are among the items being stolen.

Thirty-eight police forces have teamed up for the crackdown, which includes visits to scrapyards and suspected transporters of metal.

Emerging economies' rising demand for metal is said to be fuelling the crime.

Metal theft in the UK is said to have risen on average by 150% in the past 24 months.

Demand from countries such as China and India has driven prices up - in some cases they have doubled.

Industry journal Metal Bulletin said prices had increased significantly in the past few years. Copper is now worth $8,564 a tonne (about £4,300), compared with less than $1,400 (about £710) in 2001.

Disruption caused

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Crowther, the Association of Chief Police Officers' lead on metal theft, insisted it was not a victimless crime.

He said: "Thousands of people have seen their community facilities stolen or damaged by thieves looking for a quick gain or have suffered service disruption to railways and telecoms.

"The problem ranges from opportunistic to large-scale organised theft.

"This has a huge impact across the country - not just financially, but in people's everyday lives."

Det Insp Peter Jones talks about the operation in Gwent

In May, lead thieves caused £10,000 damage to a medieval church in County Durham.

The roof of St Mary's Church, in Staindrop, near Barnard Castle, which was founded in 771, is still covered by plastic sheeting while it awaits its insurance settlement.

The Reverend Ken Steventon told the BBC News website: "It's always a sickening feeling, just as if your house had been broken into. A lot of people in the parish were devastated."

In Wolverhampton, All Saints Church has also been targeted three times. Reverend Sarah Schofield told the BBC: "Big thefts, small thefts - it's still time, it's people's efforts.

"And you don't always find out straight away; you find out when the waters come through the roof on a Sunday morning."

Among the cases of metal theft in the past year highlighted by Acpo are:

• Communities losing power after thieves targeted substations

• A house exploding after gas copper tubing was stolen

• Delays on mainline rail services after thieves took signal cable

Police added that one death and eight serious injuries had been caused during metal thefts.

Police have been working with the British Metal Recycling Association (BMRA) to assist them in helping scrap metal dealers comply with trading legislation.

They are also helping to identify scrap dealers who are unlicensed and trading illegally.

ACC Crowther added: "By removing the market for stolen metals, the theft becomes much less attractive and so we are encouraging scrap metal dealers to be particularly vigilant in reporting to police if they suspect metals have been stolen."

Legitimate metal recyclers are governed by strict legislation concerning their sources, practices and impact on the environment.

Illegal operators - often those who advertise on fly posters, for example - do not abide by the same laws.

Lindsay Millington, director general of the BMRA, said: "We have been lobbying for a crackdown on illegal operators for many years.

"It is too easy for sites to operate outside the regulatory system that all our members follow. They open the route for stolen metals, pose risks to the environment and undercut our trade."