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"260 drivers stopped in crackdown on metal theft"

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/260-drivers-stopped-in-crackdown-on-metal-theft-1-3921918

    All well and fine.

    Metal theft means missing grates, delayed trains etc.

    There are some quite odd things in the article -

    "

    Checks were carried out on around 258 vehicles in just two days on sites at Seafield and Newbridge. A total of 147 offences were dealt with.

    Five drivers were driving without a licence to carry scrap metal and a further 20 benefit fraud offences were dealt with by the council.

    "

    So most offences were to do with the vehicles?

    Ah yes! -

    "

    Five vehicles were seized for having no insurance and no driving licence and 29 vehicles were found to have serious mechanical defects.

    Police revealed that out of those, nine were so bad the vehicles were prohibited from continuing their journeys.

    Other offences dealt with included vehicles being overweight, using red diesel, having no MOT, and driving without wearing a seatbelt.

    "

    So vehicles going to scrapyards are not really driven by 'normal drivers'(?)

    "

    “By denying criminals the use of our roads, we can keep our routes and our neighbourhoods safe.

    "

    Indeed!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. kaputnik
    Moderator

    So if you want to move stolen scrap, do it by bike?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. crowriver
    Member

    I believe Laidback has reasonable hire rates for cargo bikes...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @kaputnik

    In the Venn diagram of all things there is an intersection between the set of scrap and the set of bikes. I like to ride on its cusp.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. wingpig
    Member

    "driving without a licence to carry scrap metal"

    https://www.gov.uk/scrap-metal-dealer-registration

    Didn't know you needed one, but there you go. Wonder if these were people nicking stuff from scrapmerchants or people collecting stuff like old radiators from outside houses whose radiators are being replaced without the proper permissions?

    "using red diesel"

    It's presumably not beyond the realms of possibility to introduce something to usage-restricted fuelstuffs which would survive being exploded (or be activated thereby), resulting in some sort of exhaust-emitted substance which fluoresced when suitable-illuminated, to make detection easier than stopping a vehicle and swapping the inside of its tank?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. acsimpson
    Member

    @winpig, I'm not sure I'd want to breath such a substance.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @acsimpson

    It could be done by stable isotope labelling without any risk to your health. Deuterium or carbon 13. Plod/VOSA would have to carry mass spectrometers though. Probably easier to go with red dye and dipsticks.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  8. acsimpson
    Member

    @iwrats, I'll go back to my default position of not wanting to breath any diesel fumes then.

    Posted 9 years ago #

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