“High prices for scrap metal has resulted in more than cultural vandalism such as the theft of a £500,000 Barbara Hepworth statute from Dulwich Park – it is putting innocent people’s lives in danger. Last month, 80 operations, including eight for people with cancer, were cancelled at Llandough Hospital in Wales after 100m of cabling was stolen from a generator. Eight people have been killed trying to steal copper from electricity substations in the last year alone. The fact that there is a significant cash element makes metal theft an easy option for criminals – and it robs the Treasury of significant revenues.”
