Brazen Wolverhampton thieves pose as motorway workers for M6 metal theft
Brazen thieves posed as motorway maintenance workers to steal metal piping from the hard shoulder of the M6.
The two white van men pulled up on roadworks near junction 8 to stockpile steel drilling piles left in a coned-off area.
However their antics were caught on CCTV and people operating the cameras phoned the police.
They struck during rush hour on January 15 and wore high visibility clothing in an attempt to convince authorities and passing motorists that they were contractors.
The Bradley, Wolverhampton pair - 19-year-old Ashley Fellows of Wallace Road and 59-year-old David Williams of Ashfield Road - also activated their van's amber rooftop light.
The bogus workmen were foiled when when traffic cops surrounded them on the southbound carriageway of the motorway.
Police discovered 30 piles worth thousands of pounds stashed inside the van.
At Birmingham Crown Court both men admitted theft and were told they must each complete 140 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay £430 in fines and costs.
Chief Superintendent Martin Evans, from Central Motorway Police Group, said: "They clearly had confidence in their contractor guises as they pulled onto the hard shoulder just before 5.30pm at around the peak time for passing traffic.
"But once CCTV operators spoke to police about their suspicions it wasn't long before traffic units, plus the police helicopter, were monitoring their movements.
"In interview the men tried claiming they believed the drill piles were merely scrap metal that had been dumped at the motorway side - but the pipes were clearly in a road-works section where improvements were being carried out."
The 59-year-old also admitted driving the van on false plates - which had been loosely secured with elastic bands - though the judge didn't impose any separate penalty.
A regional metal theft taskforce was launched in summer 2012 to tackle the issues posed by metal theft right across the Midlands region.
In the West Midlands, Operation Steel along with the national initiative Operation Tornado has seen offences of metal theft cut by more than half.
After years of campaigning by organisations and business leaders, the law changed in December 2012, meaning anyone selling scrap metal would have to show photo ID and would not be able to be paid cash for their wares.
