by Linda McGrory
A COUNCILLOR last night called for a cross-border
probe into the market for scrap as Donegal County
Council became the latest victim of scrap metal
thieves.
Fourteen steel manhole covers were prised up and
stolen from a stretch of the hard shoulder on the
main N13 road between Bridgend and Burt. The
incident has prompted concern that the county's
roads, with their tens of thousands of metal manhole
covers, are becoming an easy target for cash-hungry
criminals.
Gardai in Buncrana yesterday confirmed that the
occupants of a white transit van were seen acting
suspiciously and were subsequently disturbed by a
passing patrol car between Bridgend and Burt around
11.30pm last Thursday.
The officers gave chase towards Bridgend where the
transit van sped the wrong way around the roundabout
and made good its escape over the border to Derry.
The van would have been laden with a heavy load,
with the 14 covers each weighing around two to three
stone.
Inishowen News understands that all 14
manhole covers were recovered the following day by
local authority staff at a premises in the Derry
area. Gardai
confirmed that the recovered items included 12 local
authority manhole covers, one fire hydrant cover and
one eircom broadband cover with a total value of
€1,600.
Fine Gael councillor, John Ryan, said it was a
worrying development that scrap thieves, who in
recent years had been stripping overhead wires and
domestic properties for copper, were now turning
their attentions to the county’s roads.
"This is very worrying on a number of levels. First
of all, when these holes are left without covers,
there’s a risk that someone will fall and be
injured. This would also raise a serious public
liability issue for the Council," said Cllr Ryan.
"The people doing this have clearly no regard for
people's safety. From the Council's perspective, you
then have the cost of replacing expensive manholes
in a time of recession, coupled with the staff
resources needed to find the holes and replace the
covers. This would obviously have a knock-on effect
for the ratepayers of Donegal.”
Cllr Ryan said an investigation should be launched
into who was buying items that were clearly public
property.
"These items would have been clearly marked to say
they were the property of Donegal County Council or
eircom or whatever, so it begs the question, where
is the market for these stolen goods? It has to be
investigated," added the Fine Gael councillor, who
commended the Gardai for their work on the case.
Gardai last night urged anyone with information to
contact them in Burnfoot on 07493 68105. |
