Some folks will steal anything!!

[Mrs Dobby]

We got up the yesterday to find one of our bins laying down and a glass lantern smashed at the front of the house, as it had been very windy and wet we thought it must have been the wind, however Mr D spotted something today thats made us wonder!

At the front of our house we have a small 4roof that stands over the front door, gives a bit of protection when you are opening the door if its wet, its only abut 4' by 3' and just juts out from the wall, so nothing special. It was covered with lead, but now its not got its lead on it!

From looking down the road it appears that some kind soul has decided to remove all of them from the houses hereabouts, we've contacted the police, but they dont hold out much hope of catching anyone!

I've heard of folks nicking the lead from church rooves, but to risk getting caught for such a small piece of lead? Well, I just cant credit it!

Lee and a friend will now be covering it with a felt material one day next week (when its dry, hopefully), but tbh we could do without the extra work!

[jackie j]

Neighbours of ours are having work done and the lead was cut along the wall someone knew what they were doing as its hard to cut it, such a small amount too this was about a month or so ago. then last week they had copper piping pinched from the back garden that the builders left out.
Hope they get found out.

[matthew2riches]

Scrap metal prices are very good at the moment. I took a van load of mixed steel down a few weeks back and got £120! Now you think about valuable metals....... worth nicking no matter how small

Police won't want to know as there isn't really anything £££ in it for them unlike speeding fines, etc...

[Alison]

My friend had hers nicked while she was actually in, apparently they did the whole road

[Snadger]

I've heard of this happening locally as well. Thankfully, I haven't got a porch or lean to on the house I am buying!

Thieving toerags will steal owt nowadays!

[northepaul]

Blimey thanks for the tip, we have lead on our porch roof which is (reasonably) accessable from the road!
I would not have thought people would steal that sort of thing, but you live and learn!

[dexterdoglancashire]

I've heard of this happening locally as well. Thankfully, I haven't got a porch or lean to on the house I am buying!

You moving house Snadge?

[SueA]

I can't believe that Mrs D., it's awful, just hope they don't make their way over the canal to start doing it around us, we haven't got any for them to pinch though! I've heard of manhole covers being stolen from the roads etc. but the police should really tackle the scrap yards who are buying this stuff off the thieves (or stealing it themselves), people really will steal anything nowadays - even if it is nailed down!

[lindyloo]

yes, scrap metal prices are sky high, my family have dealt in scrap, and it is not the yard owners that the police should tackle- it is the people who steal it. the scrap yards are doing everything they can do, but they can hardly go around following everyone who brings in metal, can they? most scrap metal merchants are respectable businessmen - they dont go around stealing metal- they dont have time! ( and they dont need to - most of them are wealthy already.) the type of people who steal lead off roofs are ussually little thugs with a drug problem to support.

[bobleponge]

Not good Mrs D. As you say, it hardly seems worth it when its such a small area, but I guess if you say they had done the whole street there's probably enough for a few wraps or whatever their preferred poison happens to be.

[Hilary B]

Scrap metal prices are very good at the moment. I took a van load of mixed steel down a few weeks back and got £120! Now you think about valuable metals....... worth nicking no matter how small

Police won't want to know as there isn't really anything £££ in it for them unlike speeding fines, etc...

The reason the police aren't interested has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with results. Even in the unlikely event of finding the criminals, they would find a clever lawyer who claimed they had a mental health problem, so the CPS would drop the case.
Would YOU bother with that sort of follow-up?
Speeding (or otherwise illegal) drivers are the easiest of law-breakers to get a conviction; with the targets set, of course the police are going to go after those!

[ginger ninger]

There was a spate of lead nicking around us a couple of years ago now, also livestock & veg etc off peoples allotments. When a set of gypsy's left the area it all stopped. They returned last summer and it all started again...I'm not saying all gypsy's are thieving sod's but it's a very funny coincidence...wouldn't ya say?

[lindyloo]

i was always told that when "gypsies" are in the area, every "local" thief gets busy. we had a lot of lead stolen in this town a year or so ago- was it gypsies? no- the local rough-os (they were druggise as well, and known to social services too) from the council estate got prosecuted. and i dont think that means every person to live on an ex council estate is a thief, i am just making a point. however, back to the original post; i am very sorry to hear that your lead got nicked.