THE THEFT of vital pieces of fire-fighting equipment from a Dundee tower block is part of the sometimes deadly trade in stolen metal.

Rising prices for scrap metal have led to a surge in thefts with everything from live electricity cables to door handles being targeted by the unscrupulous.

The boom in scrap metal thievery is linked to the rise in copper prices—from £1000 to £4000 a tonne in just two years—while lead is at a 27-year-high.

An insatiable demand for scrap metal for Asia, particularly China, is a major factor.

The problem is so great that two Midlands police forces launched campaigns last week.

British Transport Police has to cope with the removal of metals, cables and wire from railway tracks, with some thefts putting lives at risk.

Tayside Police, like other forces, are seeing an increase in thefts of copper, lead, aluminium and stainless steel.

The first signs came a few years ago when officers noticed manhole covers were vanishing in Dundee City Centre.

Now it seems that anything goes—roofs are stripped, particularly those of churches and derelict factories.

A few months ago, steel filters for offshore work, worth £15,000, were stolen from a Friockheim factory.

Thieves even stole a few metres of ancient guttering from an old tenement wash-house in Dundee this week.

Any notion such theft is a victimless crime is dispelled by Reid’s case, and buildings which have been stripped down by thieves can be left in a dangerous state.

Disruption and upset is caused when cabling is stolen, cutting phone and electricity supplies.

The pursuit of copper piping led to one of the most despicable acts, when thieves broke into a hospice in Shropshire, ripping out pipes and causing thousands of pounds of damage.

A spokeswoman for Tayside Police said reports have included copper being stripped from telephone wiring and lead from roofs.

She said, “Our message to people involved in stealing these items or knowingly involved in disposal of such items is that you will be prosecuted when you are caught.’’