Massive bill for glassworks site

Yobs have ripped down boards to get into the Stuart Crystal site, off High Street, Wordsley, so they can steal metal from buildings, the owners have told the Express & Star.

Managing director of Complex Development Projects, Ian Harrabin, said today the firm was still waiting for planning permission to start work on a multi million pound scheme on the plot.

The plans to build apartments and homes were submitted in September. But he said the firm had been forced to fork out nearly half a million already on security, site clearance and demolition work.

He said: "We cleared the site and thought there would be nothing left worth stealing. However there has been loads of people trying to get a few yards of copper piping which they think is valuable.

"We boarded the place up and as fast as we could do that the boards were ripped down. We have now bricked up all the openings and made it like a fortress.

"People have been arrested on site and the police have been there numerous times."

Mr Harrabin said the cost of security had already reached £130,000 and site clearance, demolition and maintenance took the figure to around £500,000.

He said: "They have even ripped off metal covers which rested on top of tanks in the ground. This meant someone could have fallen down them and we have had to make them safe."

The firm obtained listed building consent at the end of last year and has started knocking down the unprotected buildings on the site.

The layout and design of planned new buildings in the scheme have been criticised by planners at Dudley Council who warned the proposal could be thrown out unless these elements were changed.

Planning officers at the council have had a meeting with the architects recently but say the scheme is unlikely to come before the planning committee until after the May local elections.