Stolen York stone becoming too expensive to replace

Missing paving stones in Rochester Road, Camden Town, where thieves slabs last month

A SURGE in paving slab thefts has spurred the Town Hall to offer cash rewards to anyone who can help nail the worst offenders.
Valuable York stone has long been a target of the paving thieves but the top-price slabs are now being stolen at such an alarming rate that Camden Council is offering £500 rewards for information leading to convictions.
Town Hall officials have warned that it is now becoming too costly to replace stolen slabs with York stone.
As details of the new reward system and a theft hotline were announced on Friday, Camden’s Labour environment chief, Councillor John Thane, said: “This is a contemptible crime and an extravagant form of anti-social behaviour.
“The council invests a great deal of taxpayers’ money in keeping the borough’s streets clean and attractive, ensuring pavements are safe and well-maintained with good-quality paving.
“These thieves rip up paving stones with no regard for the safety of other members of the public, who could easily trip on the mess they leave behind.”
Over the last two years, York stone has been taken from Hampstead Parish Church and All Souls Church in Savernake Road in Hampstead, leaving repair bills running into hundreds of pounds. New areas which have been hit include Rochester Road in Camden Town, Montpellier Road in Kentish Town and streets in Hampstead.
Cllr Thane added: “After we have invested so much in our streets, this amounts to stealing from the public purse for private gain.
“They are not just ripping up our paving stones, they are ripping off our taxpayers.”
The council has warned that gaps in the pavement may have to be filled with cheaper material as the cost of replacing York stone, at £60 a square metre, is spiralling.
Police are backing Camden’s blitz on the paving thieves. Intelligence suggests a black market in York stone is allowing rogue dealers to charge as much as £100 a square metre, with do-it-yourself gardeners buying up the slabs for patios and driveways.
A Town Hall press official said: “Not all of the streets will be able to have York stone because of the cost and availability.
“Dozens of streets have been targeted in the last few weeks, with Hampstead emerging as a particular hotspot.”