A recent day of action to clamp down on metal thefts in Bradford is indicative of the prevalence of the crime in the district.

Operation Spokeville, involving Bradford Moor Neighbourhood Policing Team and partner agencies, aims to ensure that all dealers have the correct licenses to trade and are not dealing in stolen metals.

The operation is proving a successful weapon in the fight against scrap metal crimes in Bradford and other cities across the country.

As well as plundering the district’s heritage, metal thieves are causing havoc for rail networks and posing potential danger to the public.

Church roofs, railways, telecoms installations, war memorials, street signs, old cars and manhole covers have all been targeted.

Saltaire, a World Heritage Site and tourist attraction, has become a particular target for thefts over the past year or so.

Homes and businesses were evacuated from a street in the village because of fears of a gas explosion after a section of copper piping was stolen from a first-floor flat. Drain grates have also been lifted.

The extent of the problem has led the Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend Nick Baines, to urge all the district’s MPs to vote for a Parliamentary Bill to outlaw the selling of scrap metal for cash. He is supporting the proposed legislation in a bid to help churches hold on to their heritage and prevent them from being targeted by thieves.

The Government is currently working with MP Richard Ottaway to ensure his Scrap Metal Dealers Bill delivers a stronger and more effective licensing regime for the scrap metal industry. The Bill is expected to receive Parliamentary approval in the new year.

In the meantime, new legislation came into force this week preventing metal dealers from being able to trade in cash and face tougher sanctions for rogue trading.

The measures are designed to stamp out the illegal metal industry, which costs the UK at least £220 million a year.

Legislation changes will remove the ‘no questions asked’ cash payments that have allowed unscrupulous traders to evade checks – increase financial penalties. Illegal traders will now face fines of up to £5,000, and the new law gives police new powers of entry to tackle illegal trading in metal yards.

Howard Buckley, co-ordinator of Faith Watch – an initiative similar to Neighbourhood Watch, which encourages communities to share information with police and report suspicious activity around ecclesiastical buildings – says the new law is a welcome measure in countering the growing problem of metal theft.

“Strictly speaking, stolen metal is not scrap metal, but we can hardly differentiate between the two once it has been stripped off a roof or cut from power lines. We therefore have to make it harder for criminals to deal in metal, hence this legislation.

“It might inconvenience lawful traders a little, but that’s about it. I am confident that we shall see a fall in the number of metal theft incidents in the coming weeks,” says Howard.

English Heritage, which has now invested £50,000 in increasing security at its high-risk sites after a number of historic areas were targeted by metal thieves, welcomes the measures and says it will assist the Home Office in any way it can.

A statement from English Heritage said: “Combating metal theft is a priority in the heritage crime prevention programme that we embarked on two years ago, which has now got the support of more than 100 organisations across the country, formally organised as the Alliance to Reduce Crime Against Heritage.

“The Bill will complement the wide range of initiatives we are doing through the Alliance – from raising public awareness and improving intelligence to developing guidance on sentencing, preventative measures and the range of interventions that can be used to tackle heritage crimes, from verbal warning and restorative justice actions to injunctions and formal prosecutions.”

Jim Dyer, chairman of Salts Tennis Club and a member of the Salts Sports Executive committee, also welcomes the moves after Saltaire’s tennis club and football changing rooms were targeted by metal thieves three times in a fortnight earlier this year.

Jim estimates that 30ft of copper piping was ripped from the club’s shower units, toilet cistern and sink units, leaving a £6,500 repair bill. Thieves even took knives and forks.

“Everything is plastic now,” says Jim.

He hopes the the Bill will help to clamp down on the crime. “If people are selling it they need some sort of ID, which they are asked for, whereas before they took a scrap piece of metal and that was the end of the line.

“Now if dealers keep their records up to date, they can trace who is selling it,” says Jim.

Detective inspector Alan Flynn of the force’s local policing department, says: “West Yorkshire Police welcomes the new Bill.

“We will continue to work with our partners in Local Government and other enforcement agencies to tackle metal theft and reduce the impact and harm it has on our communities.”