Metal misery Four tonnes of drain covers stolen in latest road raids
POLICE are looking into the latest theft of metal drain covers and grilles after an estimated four tonnes of them were removed during the Easter weekend.
The metal was taken from streets in the trading estates of Ashton Vale, along South Liberty Lane and in the nearby residential roads, as well as other roads around Bedminster and south Bristol.
The full scale of the theft is still being assessed, but council road contractors CTM spent much of Easter Monday and Tuesday locating holes and covering them with cones.
One resident in Ashton Vale said the group of thieves who took the metal were disturbed at around 9am on Easter Monday.
The Post has contacted Avon and Somerset police for more information.
These are the latest large-scale metal thefts in the south Bristol and North Somerset area. In early April, as many as 40 metal drain covers went missing from roads in Nailsea, Wraxall and Wrington over the course of three days, just a few miles from Ashton Vale on the edge of Bristol.
Then, Nates Lane, Bristol Road, Trendlewood Way, Nailsea Park and Spindleberry Grove were targeted by gully cover thieves, in a theft North Somerset Council described as “dangerous and unacceptable”.
North Somerset Travel and Roads urged people with information about the thefts to come forward and “help us catch those responsible”.
“We’re working closely with Avon and Somerset Police but we’re also asking anyone with information they think may be useful to please get in touch with the police or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 to help us catch those responsible,” it said in a statement at the time.”
They added: “Apart from being incredibly dangerous, incidents like this can end up costing thousands as we have to ensure each gully is kept safe, while we arrange for replacement covers to be installed.
“If you have any information that could help the investigation please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you and catch those responsible.”
Residents have been urged to check their CCTV and doorbell footage and report the incidents to police.