Hassan condemns copper theft
Councillor Toney Hasson and Cathal McCauley survery the damage casued to the house at Meenaleck Walk. (0510SL24)
Sinn Féin housing spokesperson councillor Tony Hassan has condemned vandals who broke into a bungalow in Meenaleck Walk and stole a newly installed copper water boiler.
A man in his thirties lives in the house but was not in at the time as he had temporarily moved out to allow work to be carried out in his kitchen and electrical wiring system.
Colr. Hassan said the Meenaleck Walk incident was but the latest in a long line of copper thefts in the city and called on scrap metal merchants to exercise caution when purchasing metal.
“This is another shocking incident which is part of an ever growing list of targets for the metal thieves.
“The man in question had moved out of the house to allow work to be carried out. He was due to move back in on Thursday past but because of the damage he will not be able to move back in until early next week.
“This kind of repair and maintenance work has been going on in the Shantallow area for over a year now but this latest incident is a worrying development. I would urge all householders to be vigilant.
“These thieves have no consideration for the disruption they cause and I would call on all scrap metal dealers to be careful about who they buy off.”
The theft of the new water boiler, which took place between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, caused extensive damage to the wooden floors inside the house.
“The work to the man’s home was almost finished, he was due to move back in on Thursday and now he’s faced with this.
“The vandals ripped out the copper boiler and in doing so caused extensive water damage to the house. Work is underway to hopefully repair the damage as soon as possible. I am not sure exactly when the man will be able to move back in but hopefully it’s sooner rather than later. He’s already been out of his home for the last two weeks to allow the work to be carried out so I can only imagine how eager he is to get back home.
“I would urge anyone with information on those behind this incident forward to the police.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Derry
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South west
