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An increase in manhole and drain cover thefts has sparked safety fears
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Metal theft strikes at businesses

By Caroline Cook
February 17, 2011

Metal thieves have been targeting a Finchampstead industrial estate as the recent spate of manhole cover thefts continues.

An increase in manhole and drain cover thefts has sparked safety fears around the borough. In the latest theft, between 20 and 25 metal covers were stolen from the privately owned Hogwood Lane Industrial Estate in Finchampstead on Monday, February 7.

A member of staff who works at a company on the site said he had noticed more covers had gone missing over the last few weeks.

He said: “There are some covers missing and it’s an inconvenience because it costs a fortune. What can you say, they’re thieves. Apparently they get about £4 a unit but it costs about £200 to replace them.

“It’s just terrible. It could be dangerous as well with people falling down at night because there’s a big open hole.

“They should be brought to justice. If they catch them, all they will get is a slap on the hand and be told not to do it again.

“For every one they have taken they should be made to pay £200.”

Jason Marino, who owns the site, expressed his anger and frustration at the thefts but said he would not like to comment further.

A further 92 covers were stolen from areas managed by the council between December and January setting the taxpayer back around £8,500.

Eddie Napper, drainage maintenance manager at Wokingham Borough Council, said the council was doing all it could to deal with incidents as soon as they were reported but he warned a spate of thefts in nearby towns were leading to longer waiting times for replacements.

He said: “In the borough we have got something like 26,000 grills so having to replace 100 is a small proportion at the moment.

“The biggest problem is getting replacements because it’s happening in Reading and Windsor and so sometimes it is a problem getting hold of them.

Mr Napper said the price of scrap metal was likely to be the cause of the thefts with 30 covers fetching between £150 to £200, although the cost of replacement is far greater.

He said: “It can be quite expensive. Every time some are stolen we report it to the police but they’ve not been able to find anyone yet.

“It’s probably relatively easy for people to get away with it because if you see a white van and men in high visibility jackets you probably wouldn’t think anything of it.

“Previously the removals have been fairly random but I think they did quite a big hit on Hogwood.”

Mr Napper said people should report suspicious behaviour to the police and should not try to tackle offenders themselves.

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This is the sort of think that happens when you vote in the Torys.. The make the poor so poor that they have to resourt to stealing to afford food

Dick Van Dyke
22/02/2011 at 14:57

The main danger is to cyclists who particularly in the dark and wet weather cannot see missing drain covers. This could result in a potentially fatal accident.

David Wilson, Wokingham
18/02/2011 at 16:24

Yes - who's taking and paying for this stuff?

Come on old bill, get detecting...

hudson, reading
18/02/2011 at 10:05

Why don't they have some kind of special lock on them that only the council use? Like what Apple have done with the iphone.

The Illusive Man
18/02/2011 at 08:05

Something's wrong there... £4 a unit but £200 to replace!! Make them out of something cheaper and less valuable (if you can get less valuable).

Alternatively some raids on the local area should solve the problem.

Lester Crinklesack
17/02/2011 at 16:10

Why don't the council ring round the local scrap yards and buy the covers back at, say, 20 quid a time? Still a saving overall.

One who knows, Chaversham
17/02/2011 at 15:49

“It’s a problem to any road users, pedestrians or people with disabilities. You could put the wheel of your car down it so there’s that sort of problem too. The people who take them just don’t think about it.”

Don't kid yourself; the thieves know exactly what the consequences could be. They just don't care.