THE theft of copper piping and cylinders from houses is continuing to cause problems throughout Limerick, with a number of vacant premises having been targeted in the county. In recent incidents, unoccupied county council properties in Newcastle West town were targeted by criminals who stripped out piping and tanks. “This type of crime is has not gone away and is continuing to pose a major problem in the county; it has become an epidemic”, Newcastle West Councillor, Jerome Scanlan FG, told the Limerick Post.
“Something needs to be done to protect these council properties as there are 30 vacant in the town and having them repaired and the copper replaced, is putting additional strain on the already stretched finances”.
Among the houses targeted by copper thieves lately was a vacant parochial house in Feohanagh. Thieves also stole 100 metres of telephone cable from Cappamore last week, leaving several houses without a landline service. Last year a vacant hotel on the Ennis Road, and a closed golf club, had copper tanks stolen and piping stripped from the floors and ceilings by thieves.
Cllr Scanlan says that the problem is gone on too long and is seeking new regulations for the scrap metal trade to compel them to seek the production of tax clearance certificates by sellers so that stolen metal cannot be resold.
