VPS has welcomeD the final reading of a Bill that could help curtail the 1000 metal thefts that occur every week in the UK.

VPS, responsible for managing over 90,000 vacant properties in the UK and

abroad, has welcomed the final stage of the Scrap Metal Dealers Bill through

the House of Lords on Tuesday February 12th.

On the same evening the BBC screened a special documentary 'The Hunt for

Britain's Metal Thieves' stating: "The high price of metal has led organised

criminal gangs to tear apart Britain's infrastructure, stripping metal from

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railways, power stations, churches and even war memorials'.

"For some time we've been highlighting to owners of empty premises about the risks and costs to businesses from the rising trend of metal theft,

commenting only a fortnight ago on the Home Office’s latest Crime against

businesses survey, which reported 67,000 of these crimes took place last

year." said Simon Alderson, Commercial Director of VPS. "As a trade, scrap

metal dealers themselves have often have been victims of these crimes, but

the Bill has come about because some dealers are willing to pay cash for

scrap metal offered to them by anyone."

"The Government amended the 1964 Act to prohibit cash payments to purchase scrap metal last October, but this new Bill goes much further by not only making it illegal to take cash but it also requires all sellers of metal to provide verifiable ID at point of sale and the onus is on the dealers to

record and retain records of each purchase." Mr Alderson explained.

(GK/IT)