Council's big bill for drain cover thefts

Bradford Council has had to fork out 35,000 from its highway budget in August and September this year to replace 207 stolen cast iron covers.

The thefts have left children, elderly people, cyclists and motorists vulnerable to accidents caused by uncovered drains.

Coun Ghazanfer Khaliq, the authority's executive member for environment and sustainability, said: "It is not so much the expense, but public safety that is most important to us. These criminals either don't realise or don't care about the danger they are causing."

The level of theft is thought to be due to the recent high value of metal. To combat the problem, the council is replacing stolen covers with a new type of plastic cover.

Coun Khaliq said he hoped the new covers would help to make the district's streets safer.