Metal theft doubles in a year

THE POLICE are warning the public about metal thefts being on the increase.

Last week a property on the Saintfield Road, Lisburn was broken into and an amount of copper piping was stolen.

In August, 20 manhole covers worth £2,000 were stolen from the grounds of the Sally Garden Centre in Poleglass.

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Thieves also target schools with 20 schools in Northern Ireland having lead stolen from their roofs, followed by building sites, churches, farms and shops.According to police statistics there has been a significant rise in metal thefts, with the PSNI recording 158 lead thefts in 2010/11, compared to 74 in 2009/10. In 2005 there were just 52 cases. Thieves pocketed £53,485 from stolen lead in the last year alone, despite 46 of the reported metal hauls recorded as having no estimated value.

That equates to £477.54 per load of lead they were able to sell.

The vast majority of recorded cases of theft comes from homes. Of the 158 cases, 49 were stolen from a dwelling.

Police would advice the public to:

• Remove or delay fitting metal such as copper tanks and copper pipes if a house is going to be empty.

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• Mark metal with tamper-proof stickers, UV spray or grease.

• Use signs on vacant properties warning metal has been marked or removed. Consider using anti-climb paint, however you may have to display signage.

• Artificial lead (which is lower in resale value) is a good replacement in the event of a theft.

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