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Officers from the Farnborough Safer Neighbourhoods Team are appealing for information after a number of drain covers were stolen in Farnborough and Aldershot.
Between Monday, March 22 and Friday, March 26, gully gratings or drain covers were stolen from the following roads:
- Hatfield Gardens, Farnborough
- Woburn Avenue, Farnborough
- Longleat Square, Farnborough
- Montacute Close, Farnborough
- Ashley Road, Farnborough
- Manor Road, Farnborough
- Canterbury Road, Farnborough
- Waverley Road, Farnborough
- Reading Road, Farnborough
- The Crescent, Farnborough
- Green Way, Aldershot
- Sandown Crescent, Aldershot
- Auchinleck Way, Aldershot
- Bridle Court, Aldershot
Acting Sergeant Chris Thoday, from the Farnborough Safer Neighbourhoods Team, said: “The theft of drain covers appears to be increasing throughout the UK as scrap metal prices rise.
“As well as the cost to the taxpayer, there are also real safety risks with the large holes that are left in the road which cause a hazard to cyclists, walkers and motorists.
“If you have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area, or anyone removing drain covers, then please get in touch, even if you think the person is a legitimate highways engineer. It only takes a few minutes for us to verify their identity and this is much quicker and safer than the risk of losing more drain covers.”
Councillor Mel Kendal, Executive Member for Environment at Hampshire County Council, said: “There is a real danger that people could be seriously injured as a result of drain holes being left uncovered after a theft. Stealing gully gratings is mindless, highly dangerous and places greater financial burden on the council tax payer.
“While it might appear to be a minor problem the gratings must be replaced - at around £200 per gully – as quickly as possible and doing this diverts our people from doing core, routine jobs and takes money from the public purse leaving less for essential services. This isn’t the first time this has happened and I urge anyone who either notices that a gully grating is missing or sees someone acting suspiciously near a highways drain to contact us or the police immediately. In the meantime, County Council inspections are being undertaken to identify these thefts and resolving very dangerous situations as a matter of urgency.”