Metals thefts are on the up across the Black Country as the price of scrap metal rises, with Sandwell highlighted as a blackspot area.

Door numbers have been stolen from homes, metal flower pots have gone missing from cemeteries and lead stolen from schools and churches as part of a spate of thefts in the last six weeks. Some have picked up £5,000 of metal in a single raid. Doors numbers were stolen from Beacon View Road, West Bromwich overnight and £1,000 worth of cables taken.

On both November 5 and 9 metal flower pots stolen from cemeteries on Heath Lane, West Bromwich and Walsall Road Stone Cross.

On November 16 lead was stolen from the roof of Glebefields School in Tipton with the biggest single haul, £5,000 of copper stolen from an electrical substation on Orchard Road on the Yew Tree estate on November 29.

A skip was emptied and stolen from Black Country New Road on December 6 and just days later on December 11 copper piping was stolen from inside United Pentecostal Church in Whitehall Road, Greets Green, causing a leak.

On December 15 copper piping was stolen from outside Hateley Heath Junior School in Huntingdon Road, West Bromwich.

Other areas of the Black Country have also fallen victim to thieves, with three metal trollies stolen from B&Q in Bilston on November 5.

Cranmer Methodist Church in Newhampton Road West, Wolverhampton was also targeted on December 12, when tiles and lead were stolen from the roof.

A second incident was reported last Friday where offenders attempted to again steal lead from the roof, but were disturbed before anything was taken.

West Midlands Police has now stepped up action.

Inspector Dale Randle from Sandwell command unit said: “We have recently conducted some research around metal-related thefts, which confirmed that there has been an increase in burglary offences where metal has been stolen.

“With rising scrap prices again being offered we are concerned that the number of these offences will continue to increase and so we are stepping up our efforts to tackle this type of crime.”