There have been a spate of metal thefts in Edgbaston during the past 12 months – including from St Augustine’s Church roof and Moorland Court flats roof, as well as numerous other places.
As the Council’s Public Protection Committee heard on Friday, Environmental Health Officers from the Council have supported a programme of vehicle stop-check operations with the police, focusing on scrap collectors. As a result, enforcement action is pending against a number of waste carriers identified as potentially operating illegally.
Environmental Officers from Birmingham City Council have also visited residential addresses where there is a suspicion that these may be being used for scrap metal operations.
At last November’s Council meeting, a resolution was passed calling for discussions between Council officers and scrap metal dealers with a view to obtaining a voluntary code of conduct across the industry whereby payment by a dealer for scrap metal is made only by cheque or bank transfer – rather than by cash which is currently the norm.
It is hoped these measures will result in a fall in the number of thefts.
