Stolen drain covers again.

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Fri 23 Apr 2004 23:01
Stolen drain covers again. - henry k
My previous posting (on missing manhole covers) seems to have disappeared so a new posting.

I was reporting on thefts around the UK and in China.

Well it is now much closer to home, if fact within my council Elmbridge (Surrey) borough.

Front page in the local press.
Over Easter 34 gully covers were stolen in Weybridge and others went missing in nearby areas. Some holes are a metre wide

It really is very frightening what could happen to a car, cyclist or pedestrian.

Obviously it is a growing menace and could occur in your area.
Has anyone else suffered from these thefts?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 23 Apr 2004 23:06
Stolen drain covers again. - patpending
When I worked in a school in France the boarders used to nick these and hide them in the dorm...this might explain why French cars traditionally had so many dents! :)

pat
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 23 Apr 2004 23:42
Stolen drain covers again. - defender
scrap price is £100 per ton ,drain covers etc = easy money for someone
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 23 Apr 2004 23:56
Stolen drain covers again. - Civic8
Is that for cast iron.Or mild steel.Just wondered?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 24 Apr 2004 00:40
Stolen drain covers again. - Andrew-T
So a drain cover can't fetch much over a quid. Is it worth the hassle?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 24 Apr 2004 00:57
Stolen drain covers again. - henry k
Quotes from the press reports

We cannot discount scrap or antiquity value.
Anyone offered the covers....at a car boot sale is asked to come forward.

The council has to make the area safe within the hour.
....estimated the cost at £500 each time.
total cost up to £16K



Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 24 Apr 2004 01:07
Stolen drain covers again. - Altea Ego
Loads more gone missing over the last week in the Boro of Runnymead (more or less next to Elmbridge)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 24 Apr 2004 01:10
Stolen drain covers again. - Civic8
Sounds like your council tax will go up-Yet again.I doubt its antiquity value.as they are cast iron would think its scrap value.they wont be up for sale at boot sale.Scrap yard is where they will be.What is this world coming to?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 24 Apr 2004 07:56
Stolen drain covers again. - malteser
Easier for crack addicts than mugging old ladies, I guess!
Roger.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 24 Apr 2004 11:21
Stolen drain covers again. - Andrew-T
£20 being offered for any car dead or alive round here.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 24 Apr 2004 13:17
Stolen drain covers again. - defender
isnt it amazing the council pricing on any job ,what price covers at the builders merchant ,certainly not £400 +£100 for time to put them back in the hole .perhaps they could send a buyer to the scrappy to buy em back or even reward scrappy for return and reporting sellers of stolen covers.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 24 Apr 2004 14:11
Stolen drain covers again. - NitroBurner
This happened on our works car park recently.

Travellers arrived one day. Stayed for a week or so & left one night, leaving 50 or so uncovered manholes...
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 24 Apr 2004 15:35
Stolen drain covers again. - Baskerville
I doubt it's as simple as you going down to the builders' merchant to buy one. These things will be needed in large numbers at short notice in many different shapes and sizes. Many of them will be very old and possibly in very odd sizes and shapes indeed. They will all need assessing, possibly the holes repairing, and so on. And because this will have to be done in a hurry over a wide geographical area it's likely that the council will have to get in contractors on emergency rates. Try hiring a plumber to fix a leak within one hour of you calling and you'll find out how much extra it costs Now imagine you had 200 leaks in 200 different houses. Very expensive.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 24 Apr 2004 15:51
Stolen drain covers again. - nick
I think many of the older ones are weird sizes. IIRC, at privatisation BT used something like 1800 different sizes of manhole cover for different purposes. Thankfully this was rationalised to under 10 types.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

From which small car to buy at which price point to the best UK-built cars, our Top 10s have the lot. Click now for your shortlist.

Unsure of what to buy? Our Top 10s are here to help you....