Stony's pipes nicked

Tag : Electric Pipes

DARING thieves have stolen more than $5000 worth of copper pipingfrom the Stony Range gardens in what police believe is aprofessional operation.
Sometime during the long weekend thieves trampled through thickbushland to dig up and then cut through a 100m pipe before makingoff with the pieces.
They also stole a stainless steel work bench, lids for electricbarbecues, water pipes for a fire sprinkler and brass taps.
It is the second time in 10 days Warringah Council, which owns thegardens, has been the victim of a metals theft.
Pipes to the toilet block at Manly Dam were cut away and stolenlast week.
Police believe the thefts are the latest in a string involvingstolen metal goods, which fetch a high price through black marketscrap-metal dealers.
The theft shocked volunteers of the popular Dee Why native gardenpark when they discovered the missing metal on Tuesday.
Replacing the pipe will cost about $6000, with a plastic one to belaid in its place.
"It's been a major calamity as far as we're concerned," volunteerBob Aitken said.
"It is the community that has suffered because this is theirbotanical gardens."
The copper pipe carried water pumped up from a tank to flow downthe garden's cascades.
The pipeline was built for the centenary of Federation.
Mr Aitken does not believe the thieves snuck into the park after itcloses at sunset.
"The pipe went through tiger country," he said. "There is no wayyou could stumble through the bush in the dark to find it.
"The thieves must have sussed it out well beforehand. It was a realcalculating job."
Northern Beaches crime manager David Walton said thousands ofdollars of copper and other metals had been stolen on the peninsulain recent months.
Last month $9000 worth of copper was stolen from one Brookvalebuilding site alone, while a Willoughby man was fined $2000 andgiven an 18-month good behaviour bond for stealing copper gutteringfrom Forest Way Shopping Centre.