Buildings at the historic Himley Hall site are to be stripped of valuable metals such as lead and copper in a bid to thwart thieves plaguing the region.
The council-owned site, which lies between Dudley and Wolverhampton, was targeted by thieves who stole lead roofing from a gate lodge building near the entrance. Dudley Council has confirmed it is looking into replacing the roof with a low cost material to ward off thieves. And it will consider using a cheap alternative at any of its sites where expensive metal had been stolen.
The lead which went missing from the gate lodge could be replaced with a “reinforced bitumen-based roofing material” which is designed to be durable in all weathers, council spokesman Phil Parker said.Dave Tyler, councillor for Kingswinford North and Wall Heath, said the policy was sensible in light of the spate of thefts.
“Anything that would reduce the impact of thefts has to be welcomed,” he said.
“Metal thefts are a nuisance at the moment so anything that the council can do to discourage people has to be considered.”
Brass door knobs, lead and copper from churches, metal from cable serving a mobile breast screening unit and even a bus stop have all been snatched over the last few months.
In response, a dedicated police blitz on metal thefts in the region, named Operation Steel, has brought 500 arrests since it was launched last August.
Wolverhampton Council has confirmed it has also replaced lead on some of its buildings.
Earlier this week British Transport Police and their West Bromwich colleagues targeted drivers en route to scrapyards as part of the crackdown.
Officers stopped vans and pick-up trucks for police to search their contents and check paperwork.
A number of Black Country scrap dealers have already been targeted in an undercover investigation, as revealed in the Express & Star last week.
By Mark Mudie
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