MP urges hard line over metal thefts

The Government announced yesterday that scrap metal dealers linked to the crime would have their licences torn up in a new move to tackle an explosion in metal theft which has caused disruption on railways and hit churches and war memorials.

It followed a Home Office move to ban cash payments for scrap in an effort to weed out dodgy dealers who turn a blind eye to accepting stolen metal and a Government pledge to spend £5m on a taskforce tackling the problem.

But Tory MP for York Outer, Julian Sturdy, has warned the Government that those measures may not be enough to tackle the problem and has called for a “fundamental” review of their impact in six months’ time.

“I urge the ministerial team not to take their eye off the ball on this issue,” he said. “Metal theft is a hugely expensive and disruptive crime, which has offered criminals a high return in recent years because of the rise in global commodity prices.

“After a suitable period of time I hope that the Secretary of State will ... if necessary introduce further measures to penetrate the core of this damaging criminal activity, which cannot continue to go unchecked.”

The latest Government move is to bar anyone convicted of any crime relating to metal theft from working legitimately in the scrap business.

Environment Minister Lord Taylor said: “Stolen metal will be too hot to handle. Mindless criminals who steal from our railways and historic buildings, and the scrap dealers who fuel the market, are causing misery and anger for countless people.

“We’ll purge the industry of rotten elements by flushing them out of legitimate businesses, or shutting dodgy businesses down altogether.”