Thieves - A Heads Up

Pudwoppa · 05-08-2011, 13:21

Just wanted to mention this so people can be on the look out.

Yesterday someone tried stealing the old coping stones off the top of my back wall - in broad daylight it seems. I think someone interrupted them because the two stones that had been taken off were just left stacked up on the street. This is in Peel Park area.

I have to hand it to them - the big stones are riduculously heavy and are 6-7 feet up. Even with two guys on it, it's brave - and I live on a main road. Lifting those things whilst trying to hide from view must have taken some effort. If thieves got medals for bravery... well, they'd probably sell them for scrap, but you get the idea.

I know there have been lots of threads about people opportunistically stealing from back gardens etc. Normally scrap metal and such, but I've never seen something so blatant. Maybe they're stepping it up a gear for the double dip recession?

duggie · 05-08-2011, 20:29

the stones are waist high when you are stood in the back of a transit tipper van, anybody seeing transit type tipper vans travelling slowly down back street be aware, they will be stealing, end of. make a note of the reg number just in case

Pudwoppa · 06-08-2011, 00:53

Normally yes - but the wall is on a main road, not a back alley. Unless they had the transit van parked across a busy pavement, they were hand-balling them. Plus they weren't missing (ie put straight in a van), they were left stacked on the floor. Can't get my head around it.

cashman · 06-08-2011, 08:08

its easy pudwoppa, have seen a wagon go down our back wi a guy on back, wearing one of those yellow jackets, sure as hell wasn't a council wagon, but many glancing would probably assume they are council workers.

odders · 06-08-2011, 09:40

This has happened recently in Langho, Billington and Blackburn, they go along the road at night with bolster and chisel. Then next day go round picking them. With the influx of travellers visiting this area at present, these crimes are going to become more frequent. As cashman says a hi-viz fools most folk, you consider them to be contractors/workers...

WillowTheWhisp · 06-08-2011, 11:54

Thieves had the cheek to dig up plants from our garden including an acer and a hydreangea bush so it doesn't surprise me that they have the cheek to lift coping stones right under people's noses.

Pudwoppa · 07-08-2011, 12:25

^ Wow - that is cheeky.

This definitely seems to be on the rise from whats been mentioned. Getting a CCTV camera outside my own house seems odd to me, but might be worth a look