Warning after manhole covers stolen on Shropshire border
Friday 21st January 2011, 11:39AM GMT.
Motorists on the Powys and Shropshire border are being put at “serious” risk by gangs of thieves stealing cast-iron manhole covers from roads, the county council warned today.
Five metal drain covers worth thousands of pounds have been stolen from a minor road in Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant, near Oswestry, over the last few days.
Huge holes have appeared on the routes, exposing drivers, cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians to the danger of a serious accident, officials said.
John Evans, from Powys County Council, said the authority was now working with Dyfed-Powys Police to find the culprits.
He said: “There is a real risk of motorists driving over an exposed manhole with devastating effect.
“Apart from the obvious damage to a vehicle an incident would cause, it could result in personal injuries or worse.”
He added: “The council is replacing covers as fast as it can but the danger is that some locations on minor roads are not discovered until it is too late.
“We would urge anyone who sees anything suspicious to get in touch with police and if anyone discovers a missing drain cover they should contact the council immediately,” he said.
Antony Topazio, communications officer for Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “We are investigating the theft, which could have serious consequences to vehicles passing over unprotected drains. We would urge anyone with information to get in touch.”
Most Commented
- Clampdown on Shrewsbury chuggers
- Bishop's gay marriage views do nothing to support bible teachings
- Letter: Alcohol price plans annoy me
- Planners ordered to stay on Newport visit bus
- Letter: Angered by close encounter of the furred kind
- Letter: No sense in overseas job adverts
- The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff doesn't raise a smile
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
Bad, very bad.
But I’m a little puzzled that the value of five manhole covers is “thousands” of Pounds.
What are they made of – silver or gold?
Scrap iron price is about £180 a tonne at the moment, so raw material needed would be 150 kg at most I would guess, so £27. Manufacture and placing surely couldn’t cost £973 for five of them, especially along the same road- a straight there and back for the maintenance teams?
If the council pay these prices for manhole covers, there’s money to be saved.
Report abuse