Stone flag thieves

[Retlaw]

Just had a few minutes excitement, the ****'s have been flag stealing again, wife heard a noise, went out front and two of them were lifting flags in the side passage, they ran off when they saw her, the thing is they must be getting desparate both of them were broken, one of them was covering a 2 ft deep hole wasn't much above a foot square. Have'nt bothered calling pc plod , they did nowt on the previous occasions.

[Accyexplorer]

Total Scumbags,
I've heard of slabs being taken from places such as churches,driveways, back alleys.
I also know of a house that was empty being broken into so they could rip the ash felt floor up to get to the flags underneath (lord knows how they knew that there was flags under there).
I guess this is what happens when we live in a country thatis soft on crime and the causes of it
Also (just a observation) but maybe those that have a interest in Tarmac and driveways might have a part to play in some of this thievery

[Less]

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

Also (just a observation) but maybe those that have a interest in Tarmac and driveways might have a part to play in some of this thievery

You Mean the Council?

The largest amount of perfectly good flagstones have gone from our pavements and been replaced by inferior brick blocks and garden flags made of concrete, just take a trip (and I mean a trip) along Blackburn rd in town to see the results.

[Accyexplorer]

Originally Posted by Less

You Mean the Council?

No, I think even the council can play the victim in this one
Yorkshire stone seems to be easy target for these sorts, it's extremely difficult to identify or trace. I heard DNA glue/grease has been introduced to help councils and homeowners trace and recover their stone flags.
Perhaps it's come to the point we should chisel our postcodes into our flags?

[Less]

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

No, I think even the council can play the victim in this one
Yorkshire stone seems to be easy target for these sorts, it's extremely difficult to identify or trace. I heard DNA glue/grease has been introduced to help councils and homeowners trace and recover their stone flags.
Perhaps it's come to the point we should chisel our postcodes into our flags?

The whole of Blackburn Rd's flagstones from the viaduct to the town hall were just stolen?

Or perhaps like me, the council discovered the value of these stones sold them off and then they replaced them with the substandard masonry we have today?

I was improving a terraced house I lived in 20 or so years ago, the backyard the kitchen extension and the back room all had flagstones.
Unfortunately damp permeated through into the house, the best way to stop this was to replace the flags with a well sealed concrete floor.
I got in touch with a guy that wanted to buy flag stones, he called around inspected the stones, Offered me a price that would more than pay for the labour and materials to replace the flags with a quality floor and backyard, he insisted that he and his workers dig them up to prevent damage.

If domestic flagstones had such a high value, what did the council get for such a large quantity of paving stones? Then I wonder, how much of that money went back into replacing our pavements?
They surely wouldn't have just ripped out the stone and thrown it on a tip.

[Accyexplorer]

I naively thought, happen the council was (squeaky clean and ) actually a victim for once.
After reading your comment, I must say you have a fair point, especially the money that goes back in "the purse" ....


....Someone must think that a nice smooth Tarmac surface is superior to those flags that are uneven and cracked though
Maybe it's them that are pushing a shopping trolley, wheelchair or in one of them mobility scooters?
Also, Tarmac doesn't have a tendency to become broken when motorists park their cars on it (which I hear some motorists in that area do ).

[westendlass]

Grates are another target of the thieving scum. I have a friend who, a couple of years ago, was walking through Accrington in the dark when her leg went straight down a hole left when the grate was stolen. She got a terrible shock and has been left taking tablets for pain and nerve damage every day. It doesn't look likely she'll ever improve now. All for the sake of easy money for the vultures that show no respect for the place and people they live amongst.

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

No, I think even the council can play the victim in this one
Yorkshire stone seems to be easy target for these sorts, it's extremely difficult to identify or trace. I heard DNA glue/grease has been introduced to help councils and homeowners trace and recover their stone flags.
Perhaps it's come to the point we should chisel our postcodes into our flags?

After the last spate of stone flags in our patch I thought they might go for the very large flags outside our front door, I got the angle grinder out and cut a 1/2 groove diagonally across the flags X, then filled the grooves with a light coloured mortar, now if they try to lift them they will crack and make them useless.
There is supposed to be a substance that can identify flags, but to me it would be useless, the plod would need to carry sumat to make it visible, & the quarry's have got equipment to put any dodgy flags at the bottom of the pile, will the be ordered to move them during a search, I think not, plod can't be bothered to record serious crimes these days, let alone bother searching for a 30 quid flag.

[Neil]

Unfortunately the police appear to value the theft by the value of the second hand flags and not by the cost of replacing them or the other damage or accidents caused by the theft. A few £30 flags soon become very expensive to replace for the council and it's our money being spent because of the theft.

[Restless]

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

(lord knows how they knew that there was flags under there).
I

I don't know about the lord. But perhaps a bit research.... The house where I lived on Steiner street for 20+ years had them

[Accyexplorer]

Originally Posted by Restless

I don't know about the lord. But perhaps a bit research.... The house where I lived on Steiner street for 20+ years had them

I don't know about The Lord either R , call me naive, but where/how would one "research" such info?
Even if there is such a place, the flags could of been lifted an sold years ago.

Would a thief break into a house on the off chance of flags being under a ash felt floor? surely not, am I underestimating the greed/stupidity of the crooks today??

[Restless]

Suggestible it is then that those that have their home broken into for the flags have some connection to the thieves which also suggests they have dubious friends

[Retlaw]

We have now found the flags that went missing, they were leaning against a wall 2 backs away, got a strong neighbour to bring them back, & then cracked them with a sledge hammer. They still do the job they were intended to do but are no longer of any value.

[Accyexplorer]

Originally Posted by Restless

Suggestible it is then that those that have their home broken into for the flags have some connection to the thieves which also suggests they have dubious friends

Or a dubious letting agency with dubious friends/associates

It was certainly a strange one,No sign of forced entry,only a forced exit.
The police suggested the thieves got in through a hole that a cat would struggling fitting through ....only 2 folk had a key and one isn't a criminal....hmmm.

Please don't suggest my circle of friends are that of common criminals...... their much more professional

[Restless]

Haha. I never read into your post that much to realise it was one of your friends hahaha