Time to Scrap with the Unscrupulous Merchants
It may eventually be found in the annals of the Darwin Awards (see link below). But the story this week of a thief who died attempting to steal the copper busbars from a live industrial fuse box should make people take note of the lengths people are now willing to go to make money from increasingly valuable metals…
Copper has now overtaken lead as the metal of choice for the light-fingered, though EPA HQ’s lead flashing was still tempting enough for a group of thieves two months ago. Copper has more than quadrupled in price since 2001 and is now worth approximately £4,300 a tonne, seemingly making it worth people risking their lives in the pursuit of cash from a disreputable scrap dealer.
The theft of metal is believed to have risen by 150% over the past 24 months and costs the economy £360m every year, largely fuelled by increasing demand from the developing economies in China and India. Whatever the reason, it’s still just theft and the fact it’s unlikely to be a cherished possession will not be much consolation to the person footing the bill.
Hopefully most people will be aware that live fuse boxes are dangerous and should not be tampered with, no matter how desperate you are for money. It is thought the thief was probably only aware that copper was in the box and not of the risks involved. Thankfully, I’ve yet to read of anyone suggesting that there should have been more warnings or signage to let the thief know that industrial fuse boxes can kill you.
So what can be done?
Little can be done to stop determined thieves stealing cable that is out in the open, such as signalling cable on train lines (yes, this has been a target too). Ensuring vans are properly secured is obviously going to help and paying a bit more for security on vehicles and storage facilities is likely to pay off in the long run.
It would be terrible to be at the stage whereby electrical contractors decide to remove the livery on their vehicles to avoid the attention of thieves. For many, their vans are their shop window and the ability to advertise to the local area is vital. So the best way to combat the problem is to remove the point of trade and consequently the black market for stolen metal.
All scrap metal dealers should be registered with the Local Authority (as per The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964). It’s free to do so, so an unregistered dealer clearly has something to hide. If you’re approached by someone offering cash for metal ‘no questions asked’ or know anyone who has, contact the police. These are the people who offer the outlet for others to take your cable, cause disruption to the rail services and put lives (including their own) at risk, so the sooner they’re taken out of the equation the better.
Let EPA know if you’ve suffered as a result of metal theft or have any ideas on how to combat the problem by emailing richard.scott@imlgroup.co.uk
Enjoy the newsletter,
Richard Scott
Editor
I am Churchwarden of a parish church in South Birmingham. The lych gate at the bottom of the church path contained two bronze plaques commemorating the local dead of the two world wars. These were prised off and stolen. The unfortunate thieves tried to dispose of their ill gotten gains through a scrap metal merchant in Dudley, he realised what they were and informed the police who caught the thieves. We now have recovered the plaques and at least one of the thieves is serving time at Her Majestys' pleasure! We are placing the plaques inside the church and replacing them in the lych gate with fiberglass replicas.
Best regards,
Stephen Plant I.Eng M.I.E.T
ECA Regional Education & Training Manager.
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