Street lights alarmed after thieves take £10,000 haul

Published on Saturday 21 June 2008 12:30

STREET lights powered by solar energy are to be fitted with alarms connected to a police station after around £10,000 worth of equipment was stolen.

The direct link to Musselburgh Police station will be introduced after seven solar panels were removed from the East Lothian lampposts.

Around 30 batteries were also taken from distinctive lights off the A1 which surround the Queen Margaret University campus.

In a bid to prevent future thefts, the council and police worked together to implement the device. It means that when either the valuable solar panels or the battery packs are tampered with, an alarm will sound at the local police station alerting officers to the incident.

A spokesman for East Lothian Council said: "These are quite expensive to repair and replace so something had to be done to prevent this happening again.

"It means when someone tries to remove them a signal will go straight to the police station. We hope to have replaced them by the end of the week."

Police think the batteries were stolen by the thieves to cash in on the rising price of lead, while the valuable panels could be either used by the thieves or sold on.

It is believed the raids took place over the course of three weeks, beginning at the end of May, and the gang used either a large van or lorry to gather the equipment and load it into the back.

They gained access to the lights from the cycle track that links Newcraighall with Musselburgh.

"They were all stolen from the part accessible by vehicle, which means they were probably piled in the back of a vehicle," the council spokesman added. "The value of the haul was up to 10,000."

The lights are talked about as much for their architectural merit as their contribution to driving down energy consumption.

The panels gather up energy throughout the day and recharge a battery which powers the lights.

Musselburgh Community Council member Cathy McAlpine said she liked the sound of the police initiative.

She said: "I think this is a very good idea. Anything that deters vandalism or theft is welcome and it will mean police can get on the scene immediately."

A cyclist, who did not want to be named, who regularly uses the path, said: "It's really noticeable when you cycle past one, there's barely one that hasn't been hit. Something will have to be done about it because it's easy enough to sneak down there without anyone ever seeing you."

It is not the first time this stretch of road has been the target of unusual thefts.

In October last year, thousands of pounds worth of electrical equipment was stolen from along the A1 dual carriageway.