£200k in metal thefts a week
Organised gangs are stealing £200,000 worth of metal every week from homes, churches and businesses in the West Midlands to feed a thriving trade in illegal exports.
The metal is loaded into containers and shipped to the growing economies of China, India and the Far East.
Today reputable members of the scrap metal trade in the region demanded police action to stem the trade.
It comes as it was revealed guards have been placed around flood defence barriers at Bewdley after thieves tried to steal sections of the vital aluminium structures.
A row of shops in High Holborn, Sedgley, targeted this week by thieves who stripped off lead roofing worth hundreds of pounds, are among thousands of smaller targets that are attacked every night in the region.
Richard Ward, director of Wolverhampton-based KGJ insurance, declared today: "Enough is enough – these crimes are bringing misery to scores of ordinary people and threatening the economy of the region. The police and the politicians have got to roll up their sleeves and start getting to grip with the problem before things get even worse."
Prices for metal are soaring because it is in such short supply. Nickel chrome now fetches £30,000 a tonne - six times the figure two years ago. The cost of copper tubing has doubled during the same period.
Almost half of the UK's steel is made from scrap metal and around 60 per cent of that – eight and a a half million tons – is legitimately exported.
Experts believe this makes it easier for stolen stolen metal to be smuggled out of the country with bogus shipping documents. One metal dealer, who asked not to be named, claimed: "Stolen metal is sold through unscrupulous scrapyards and then fenced to a legitimate source. The deals are often done in cash without proof of identify.
"There is no obligation to ask potentially embarrassing questions. It is a recipe for disaster."
West Midlands Police says it is putting large resources into fighting the crime. Police in Wolverhampton recently seized 30 suspects and recovered a large haul of stolen metal, while British Transport Police arrested 11 people and unearthed 25 tonnes of stolen railway cable after raiding 55 scrap yards a fortnight ago.
Don't miss tonight's Express & Star for our Special Investigation.
