£10,000 cost for Walsall Council as 50 drain covers stolen in 24 hours

More than 50 drain covers have been stolen across Walsall in 24 hours – costing the council £10,000.

Thieves started removing covers in Aldridge and Clayhanger on Wednesday afternoon and witnesses reported seeing thieves using a red people carrier.

The news comes after more than 100 covers were stolen in a week over the summer in the borough.

Roadside drains can be more than a metre deep and present a potential risk to the safety of drivers and pedestrians, particularly at night when they are not easily visible.

Council workers are set out to make each location safe and replacement covers will be installed over the coming week.

The cost to replace the 50 drain covers will be the equivalent to the cost of around 180 pot hole repairs or 1,150 drains cleaned, the authority said..

A spokesman for Walsall Council said: "This is a dangerous and costly problem and the council are working closely with West Midlands Police who are investigating the thefts.

"It is thought that the covers may have been taken to be sold as scrap metal. Not only are they costly to replace but also leave a deep hole in the road which means that at times of heavy rainfall the drain holes could get blocked.

"We would encourage members of the public to help us tackle thefts by being extra vigilant and to report any missing manholes or gully covers as soon as possible to our contact centre on 01922 650000 quoting Crime reference number: 632\28\1\2019"