Village wakes up to find drain and manhole covers gone

10:23am Saturday 17th May 2008

THIEVES have stolen drain covers worth thousands of pounds from across York.

Up to ten were reported missing from Acomb yesterday morning, following an overnight incident in Copmanthorpe a week earlier, when 20 were taken.

These are believed to be the latest in a growing tally of scrap metal crimes, and amount to almost £5,000 of tax payers' money.

The metal thefts are prompted by soaring world metal prices that have seen the cost of lead rise from £400 a tonne to £1,000 in two years.

As reported, City of York Council has paid out £150,000 in the past year to repair damage caused by thieves stealing lead off school roofs. Church bosses in the York diocese have also made claims for more than £300,000 following the theft of lead and other metals from roofs.

A council spokeswoman said: "Twenty drain covers were stolen from Copmanthorpe. We have just had some more stolen from Acomb this morning - less than ten, we think. The drain covers cost £166 to replace. We understand some manhole covers have also been taken."

The overnight thefts were discovered the following morning by a resident, who spotted the open manholes while walking in the New Moor Lane area of the village.

The alarm was raised with York Police and City of York Council, which promptly put cones over the open holes until the covers could be replaced.

The parish council also reported the crime on its website: "As well as causing extreme danger for all road users these drain covers are very expensive to replace - £400 plus each"

The parish council also appealed for villagers to alert the police of "anybody acting suspiciously around road drains, manhole covers and other metallic road furniture".

Chairman Derek Bowen said: "One assumes they were stolen to be sold on as scrap.

"A lady was going down there because she had horses in the field and saw the covers missing. The city council was informed and put cones over the holes, and then replaced them on Monday.

"They are their responsibility because it is an adopted highway.

"It hasn't happened before, but when I spoke to York Pride they said it is becoming a more regular thing especially these days when scrap is becoming valuable."

York Police spokesman Colin Ventress said: "We get reports of this periodically, but generally more in the Selby area.

"It tends to happen more in the remote country areas where the thieves are less likely to be seen."

Police have provided forms for residents to highlight what crime issues need to be addressed in their area.

These are available in Copmanthorpe library and will be used to prioritise police activity in the village.

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