Taxpayers have forked out more than £71,000 to replace drain covers stolen across the West Midlands so far this year, new figures show.

Thieves sell the covers – which cost councils up to £500 each – on as scrap metal to unscrupulous dealers. In Sandwell, around 50 drain covers have been stolen from roads across the borough, costing up to £25,000.

In Dudley, 40 gulley grating thefts have been reported, costing £16,952. Dudley Council spokesman Chris Howes pointed out the safety hazard thefts caused.

He said today: “We replace missing or stolen drain covers as quickly as possible because of the obvious safety hazard to road users and work closely with police to tackle the issue.

“The work does not have a significant impact on other repairs to the road, however, it is a needless spending from council budgets which would be better spent elsewhere.”

In Wolverhampton, 12 gully covers have been stolen from roads across the city, costing a total of £1,800 to replace.

City council spokesman Gurdip Thandi said: “The drainage budget for 2009/10 was £170,000 and in 2010/11 it is £200,000. This covers all highway drainage work, including replacing stolen gulley covers.”

In Walsall, 18 drain covers have been stolen, costing £9,000. A total of 40 gulley gratings have been taken by thieves in Kidderminster since the start of the year, racking up a £12,000 bill for the council.

Around 24 metal covers have been stolen from roads across Staffordshire, costing the local authority £7,200.

Staffordshire county councillor Mike Maryon, cabinet member for highways, said: “Around two dozen have been reported stolen during the last 12 months.

“Each manhole cover costs around £300 to replace, depending on whether we just need to slot a new cover in place or if we have to replace the frame as well.

“It also has a knock on effect on the general maintenance programme, as well as the repair of potholes, as highways teams have to be diverted from these jobs.”