A new trend of theft seems to have hit Ladysmith, as concrete drain covers are being stolen in many areas of town.
Mr Jashwant Dathiboll (56), who has been a resident of Leonardsville all his life, says he has seen many opportunistic thieves stealing concrete drain covers in Rangoon Road.
He says that during the day and even at night, people take off the covers which belong to the municipality. They then break them open to get to the steel pipes that are inside; the steel can be sold as scrap metal.
Mr Dathiboll complains that now the drains are completely open, posing a major risk to pedestrians. “Someone could easily fall in and injure themselves,” he says as he shakes his head with concern.
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Mr Dathiboll adds that if he is sitting in his home, he can actually hear people breaking the concrete outside. “When I approach them and tell them that what they are doing is illegal, they simply ignore me!”
Councillor L Bhoobun was contacted by Mr Dathiboll to help stop this from happening. She will be taking the matter further with the municipality, whom he has also previously contacted.
“How can scrap metal dealers buy this steel from people when they know it has been stolen?” says Cllr Bhoobun.
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