Posted on 08/05/2007 3:28:21 PM PDT by NYer
Police have warned of a bizarre crime wave sweeping Britain as thieves strip millions of pounds' worth of metal off buildings to ship to China and other countries where demand is soaring.
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Thousands of properties - including hundreds of churches and other historic buildings with lead roofs - have been targeted by organised gangs who sell the metal on to unscrupulous dealers.
It is then shipped overseas, either as scrap or after being melted down, to countries such as India, China and Dubai, which are struggling to find enough materials to keep their booming manufacturing and building industries supplied.
According to Ecclesiastical Insurance, which provides cover for most Church of England properties, lead thefts have trebled while copper thefts have multiplied by 10 since 2005. In the past 16 months they have received 750 claims, totalling £1.2 million.
Chris Pitt, from the company, said: "These people have to be organised because of the amounts they are getting away with. These buildings will never be the same again once they've been stripped in this way."
The gangs are also ripping lightning conductors from spires using towropes and vehicles and stealing bells.
Among the hundreds of churches targeted have been the 13th-century St Nicholas's Church, in Great Kimble, Bucks, which suffered damage of more than £10,000, and St Mary's Church, in Woolpit, Suffolk.
The Ragged School Museum - a local history museum in a Grade II listed building in east London - suffered £20,000 of damage when lead was stolen from its roof.
Eleanor Clark, the museum's director, said: "Any building that looks old is being targeted."
This is reminiscent of when they sold Manhattan’s 3rd Avenue elevated to the Japanese which, I believe, was eventually turned into weapons.
This is reminiscent of when they sold Manhattan’s 3rd Avenue elevated to the Japanese which, I believe, was eventually turned into weapons.
THey need the lead for painting Fisher-Price toys.
Maybe someday the Chinese will return the lead to British troops at 2,329 feet per second.
Which then shows up in lead paint on toys for American children.
Sad cycle, isn’t it?
Back when Miami had the dual curses of cocaine and non-stop immigration, you could watch "recyclers" disassembling aluminum lawn chairs outside of scrap metal yards on the Miami River. (Dealers needed the chairs "clean"—no webbing). The chairs were from our back yards!
The FEC (Florida East Coast) railroad lost many miles of copper railside-communications wire to scrappers. And that was back when copper was cheap!
More lead for our toddlers to chew on, no doubt.
FReepers need to be putting our considerable thinking skills together to come up with a China-free Christmas this year.
My grandchildren are getting a trip to someplace they choose to go with us next summer...far more meaningful than the dangerous junk from China peddled by Toys R Us and Walmart. Last year, they got season passes to Six Flags, which they have really enjoyed this summer. Time spent fishing together or hiking together in ‘08 doesn’t cost much and will be remembered always.
Meanwhile the cost of ammunition is ratcheting ever upward.
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