'Road signs made out of plastic to deter thieves'

' Metal road signs are being replaced with plastic alternatives to stop scrap thieves committing "highway robbery".

Thieves have targeting road signs after the price of aluminium has risen. Essex County Council has already swapped 2,500 high value metal signs for glass reinforced polyester versions.

The additional benefit is that the low-value plastic sign does not degrade when exposed to the elements and is sturdy, the council said.

Norman Hume, cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: "We are going through times when the value of all commodities, including scrap metal, is particularly high and it's leading quite literally to highway robbery.

"After a spate of thefts a couple of years ago, we started to work with our contractors to replace our signage where possible with this new low value, non-recyclable material."

He said they would eventually replace all the 70,000 signs across Essex.

The council is also adding hinges to manhole covers to prevent theft.

The Local Government Association said that councils across the country were suffering from thefts, such as drain covers, which at around £300 each, cost the taxpayer millions every year.

In one night 20 drain covers were stolen in the north west town of Accrington, Lancashire. Last year Buckinghamshire council replaced its road signs with ones made out of worthless metal material to deter thieves from taking them.   '

Telegraph. 2008