Precious stones

IS nothing sacred? How sad it is that Yorkshire’s dry stone walls, which define the character of so much of our county’s landscape, are being targeted by thieves who dismantle them for the sake of creating dreary rockeries and pointless paving in suburban gardens.

By The Newsroom

Published 16th Feb 2011, 06:00 BST

These walls are the very signature of our landscape, the link between town and country, as likely to be a feature of the towns nestling in the Pennines as they are of the open farmland of the Dales. Without them, our county would look and feel immeasurably less impressive.

So good luck then to the police attempting to put a stop to the increasing spate of thefts by deploying new technology to catch those responsible. If the use of “smart water” that leaves indelible stains on the light-fingered can help, then so much the better.

But let us all play our part in helping the police safeguard the walls that are so precious to us; the eyes and ears and good sense of the public in spotting and reporting suspicious behaviour are the best aids officers can have, and we should not hesitate in helping to safeguard our heritage from those who would steal it.

Yorkshire