New wave of lead and copper thefts

Metal thefts are on the rise again as criminals target door knobs, pensioners' bungalows, community centres and rail lines.

Police said today a slight upturn in the economy and a rise in prices of metal has triggered a new wave of thefts of lead and copper.

In parts of the Black Country, gangs are stealing old cars specifically for their scrap metal value with as many as 30 being lifted from the roads by low-loading lorries.

Unscrupulous scrap dealers are turning a blind eye by taking cash for metal and not entering it into their records. West Midlands Police have called for a change in the law that would make this practice illegal.

Officers are tackling the spate of metal thefts by closely monitoring known metal thieves.

Supt Laurie Dyer, who launched the West Midlands Police blitz on metal thefts, codenamed Operation Steel, said today officers were targeting scrap yards to check they were operating above board and entering all purchases into their records.

Supt Dyer, of Sandwell police, went on: "Certainly the price of metal has gone up and especially since March the number of metal thefts has increased.

"It's seasonal as well because metal thefts always increase during the warmer months as there are more people out and there are easier opportunities for thieves.

"In Sandwell and Dudley we've got some operations going on around regularly visiting scrap yards and checking their books.

"Neighbourhood officers are being tasked with checking on scrap yards and traffic officers have been running automatic number plate recognition checks on roads we know are used as corridors for metal thieves to travel in."

He said residents or businesses with lead on their roofs could invest in imitation lead flashing.

Although no new figures are available, there were 216 metal thefts in the Black Country in December, 2007.

That fell to around 68 in the same month the following year.

Police blamed that fall on the economic crisis and officers' tactics.

Last week, train services across the Black Country and Staffordshire were thrown into chaos after metal thieves stole railway cable at Bescot Stadium station in Walsall.

They made off with up to 65ft of cable.

A few days earlier, metal thieves flooded a church in Smethwick for the second time after they stole lead piping from a neighbouring property.

Firefighters spent more than five hours battling floods at The Church of God of Prophecy on Regent Street.

The roof of Willenhall Leisure Centre also needs replacing after thieves stripped it of its lead in April and Walsall Council has lost more than 500 drain covers in suspected metal thefts in the last three years.

Courts are now taking stricter action against metal thieves with powers being used to seize the vehicles of those caught out.

And in 2008, couples were forced to do without traditional music after metal thieves ruined a landmark Wolverhampton church's organ.

Raiders stole lead from the roof of St Michael's and All Angels church, sending rainwater cascading down into the pipes and ruining wood and leatherwork.

Bushbury Crematorium in Wolverhampton and hospitals in the region have also been hit by the thefts.