Month: March 2011

Youth workers have warned that axeing the majority of resources from a community scheme will lead to more offending.

A petrol station was closed after a collision in which a lorry driver was injured. Emergency services said significant damage was caused to the kiosk at Eashing Service Station, in Godalming, when a lorry hit a parked car on the forecourt. The building was also hit by the lorry on Thursday night and therefore was declared unsafe following an inspection, and has been closed for business.

A rash of crimes involving the theft of copper, fuelled by its soaring cost, is only expected to get worse according to police. The thefts affect gas supplies, electricity companies and telecoms cables; and the criminal activities’ cost to the UK has doubled to around £770 million a year.

A Police Federation spokesman reacted to the fact that the number of Cleveland Police officers is to be reduced to meet funding cuts.

Police raided a remote rural premises and discovered six vehicles including tractors, JCBs and trailers, which officers said had all be confirmed as stolen. Investigators confirmed they have since been connected to thefts from Greater Manchester and Cheshire over the past few months.

Commuters were stranded at railway stations when a suspected gang of criminals took two separate lengths of copper cable from lines. Officials in the North West had to work through the night to try to fix the problem in time for the morning. However, the signals were still out of action at rush hour, and engineers were looking for a possible third section of stolen cable.