Drain covers marked to deter thieves

01/03/2012 09:54:33

 

A solution might have been found to thwart people who steal roadside drainage covers to sell as scrap metal in the Birmingham area.

Birmingham City Council and Amey have teamed up to address the issue, which has become increasingly common across the country in the last year or so.

The theft of such covers could pose a serious danger to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians as holes left by their removal can be hard to see in the dark. Vehicles can also be damaged by travelling across one of the open holes.

Birmingham City Council and Amey plan to use a specially designed grease on these gully covers which leaves an indelible mark, which can be seen using a ultraviolet light, on anyone who comes into contact with them.

As a further deterrent to would-be scrap metal thieves, signs will be erected near these covers that warn people they are coated in the special grease and those people who touch them will be marked.

The RedWeb grease has Police Preferred Specification status and has been approved by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Copyright Press Association 2012

 

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