The cost of drain cover thefts in Walsall has escalated to approximately £47,000 already this year, reports Walsall Council.
The Walsall Council Highways Officers have confirmed that 161 drain covers have been stolen so far in 2023, bringing the total cost of the thefts to a staggering £261,750 since 2018.
The main areas targeted have been Aldridge, Pelsall and Blakenall where additional Highway Safety Inspectors have been tasked with patrolling the areas on the lookout for suspicious activity.
“That’s a vast sum of public money which we would rather spend on building more projects within the community and caring for the needs of our most vulnerable citizens and children, said Mike Bird, Leader of Walsall Council.
“It’s frustrating to see so much resource spent on making repairs after criminals have left our highways in a hazardous state.
I urge residents who witness this criminal activity in progress not to intervene for their own safety, but to report any information to the West Midlands Police as we will not hesitate to prosecute scrap metal dealers that accept our stolen property.“
Report of suspicious activity can be made at go.walsall.gov.uk/report