Thieves hunting for scrap metal have been plaguing residents on a Black Country estate earmarked for demolition and redevelopment. Signs have even been installed saying all the copper has already gone.
People on Dudley’s North Priory estate say gangs have been scouring the area in vans late at night despite the signs warning all valuable metal has been removed from the vacant houses.
Chairman of the North Priory Community Association Michelle Hartlebury said: “We’ve been having a lot of trouble recently with people looking for scrap metal driving around the estate. They’ve been driving around at 10pm over the holidays looking for metal, even though the signs tell them all the copper has been removed from the houses.
“The houses are stripped of valuable metals as soon as they become void, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping them. It’s a nightmare. The police know the registration plates of the vans driving around the streets and have given them warning after warning, but that doesn’t seem to be putting them off.”
Dudley Council spokesman Phil Parker said the authority had installed the signs as a proactive measure and not in response to any crime at the site.
Police have warned businesses to be on their guard against metal thefts.
It was agreed last month that Bromford Housing Group will oversee construction of bungalows and two, three and four-bedroomed houses on the North Priory site.
6 Comments
im suprised those metal pannels covering the windows are still on. a few street loads of those will get a scrapman a decent payout
Paul your right, thats exactly what i thought too! They will have gone by tomorrow morning, look out metal thieves you will be caught! There is a new security system on the market…..look out!
It amazes me that we hear stories of people constantly ‘returning’ to areas yet they are free to do as they please.
Can’t someone arrest them or is is just too much to ask?
Make too much noise getting them off - they are bolted on through the window/door frames.
See, take reg, arrest !
Not rocket science is it.
And before anyone says anything , follow them too.
Or are the police too busy filling inother set of anti-social brats reports?
A couple of those covers have actually already been taken, probably by these scrap gangs.
This is surely just one of the many problems that the estate must now be facing with so many properties empty. There have already been a few arson attacks, so maybe the area should have 24-hour police patrols to reduce the problems.