Thieves target handrail on coastal walkway

The New Plymouth District Council has questioned the motives of a thief who removed stainless steel bolts from the handrail of a section of the coastal walkway.

Council staff discovered 12 heavy-duty stainless steel bolts had been removed from the rail the leads to the walkway below ‘‘Pig Out Point’’ recently.

‘‘It’s pretty obvious that the bolts are needed to keep the stairs safe to use,’’ council manager parks and open spaces Stuart Robertson said.

‘‘We’re fortunate that the stairs did not fail and that no-one was hurt. If people notice anyone messing about with public structures like these and they’re not wearing branded clothing from [the council] or a recognised contractor, please ring us straight away.’’

Surprisingly, it was not the first time council staff had noticed bolts had recently gone missing from safety equipment around the district.

Robertson said there had also been a rise in thefts on construction sites with thieves targeting building materials, including timber, plasterboard, copper and fuel.

Vandalism across the district cost the council more than $100,000 in the past financial year.

The wards set by South Taranaki District Council for this year’s election have been approved. Thieves have taken bolts out of stair rails on the coastal walkway.