Thieves steal 150ft of Cannock play area railings

Families woke to find the safety fencing from around the Matlock Drive play area in Chadsmoor, Cannock, had been unbolted and removed during the night.

Hours later, eagle-eyed council workers on a litter-pick nearby spotted men cutting up railings with an angle grinder a short distance from the playground and called in the police.

The railings were seen to be missing shortly before 9am on Tuesday as three members of the council's cleaning department turned up at Matlock Drive for litter-picking duty.

They initially raised the alarm with bosses at Beecroft Road in Cannock who called police.

The workmen, who do not want to be named, then helped put up a plastic cordon around the play area to make it safe.

But just 90 minutes later after moving on to another location the team heard an angle grinder being used nearby.

They spotted two men cutting up railings in Saturn Drive, less than a mile from the scene of the theft and again contacted the police.

The railings disappeared late on Monday night or in the early hours of Tuesday.

Cannock Chase Council leader George Adamson today praised the workers and appealed to residents to be on the alert.

"This happened in a well-populated residential area with homes nearby which shows how brazen these thieves are," he said.

"Metal thieves are obviously operating in our district and I would appeal to residents to be on the look-out and to report any incidents or suspicious behaviour to the police."

A 30-year-old man appeared at Cannock Magistrates Court yesterday on suspicion of being involved in theft.

Metal crime is costing the UK economy around £770 million a year as thieves target items like manhole covers, cabling from the side of railways and roof lead to sell for scrap.

By Marion Brennan