AIR conditioning companies in the Thames Valley have been warned by police to take steps to avoid becoming victims of copper theft.
Thames Valley Police have reported a number of thefts of large quantities of metal in Oxford and across the county in recent weeks, as a result of the continuing high prices being offered for scrap metal.

Crime Reduction Officer Nick Gilbert said: 'We're seeing an increasing number of reported thefts. Some businesses get hit so often they don't bother reporting them, so the problem is likely to be much bigger than we know about.

'Prices are being pushed up by the economic booms in India and China and much of this metal makes its way out to Asia. The scrap is being shipped 'raw' and processed overseas where the labour is cheaper.'