‘Disgrace’ as scrap metal thieves even steal from bridge
Not content with taking horse trailers, road name-plates and the lead from churches, Maidstone’s criminal fraternity are now stealing the town’s bridges.
Thieves have targeted the Monckton Bridge over the River Medway in Whatman Park.
The drainage channels at either side of the bridge were covered with 104 stainless steel grilles, but sadly only 38 are still in place. The rest have been stolen, presumably for their scrap metal value.
Cllr Dave Naghi, deputy mayor of Maidstone, said: “It’s an absolute disgrace. Who would do such a thing?”
The thieves had to undo four Allen bolts on each panel before they could lift it out.
Some panels have been damaged, where the thieves gave up on the bolts and tried to wrench them out.
Cllr Naghi said: “It must have taken the thieves some considerable time and effort – it’s almost incredible that noone saw them.”
The northern end of the bridge is only yards away from homes in Kerry Hill Way.
Cllr Fran Wilson, leader of Maidstone Borough Council, said: “Clearly it is disappointing when people carry out thefts and acts of vandalism of this nature.
“A significant amount of time and money is invested in ensuring that the borough remains a clean and safe place to live and work.
“This type of activity means that already strained budgets have to be used to make repairs instead of allocating them to areas of greatest benefit to the communities.
“The incident has been reported to the police and we will be looking at ways to ensure that this does not happen again.”
Derek Whitehead is the chairman of the Friends of Whatman Park, the volunteer group that seeks to enhance the public open space.
He said: “It’s a disgrace. It’s shocking that people should steal from something that’s there for everyone to enjoy.”