Metal thieves are putting you in danger and costing you money by stealing catch basin grates and manhole covers.
More than 50 have gone missing in Vermilion Parish in the last month. When one disappears it leaves a big opening for a deep hole. The Vermilion Parish Police Jury has to spend big bucks to replace them.
The police jury is asking the community and salvage yards to help stop these costly and dangerous thefts.
For the last month, bold thieves are riding around the parish and taking catch basin grates.
On Thursday one was stolen in Abbeville.
“They are taking these to salvage yards and selling them trying to make money,” said Wayne Touchet, the police juror for Abbeville. “They are doing anything they can to make a buck with it.”
Abbeville and the Erath area have been hit the hardest.
When one is stolen, the police jury has to build another one, costing the taxpayers anywhere from $200 to $400 for each new catch basin grate. Touchet is spreading the word to let everyone know to be on the look out for anyone stealing storm drains.
Touchet said if a resident notices a storm drain is missing, they can call the Police Jury office (898-4300).
Replacing the catch basin grates costs a lot of tax money, and that means everyone has a reason to protect them from metal thieves, Touchet said. Those lids weigh a lot but the thieves will only get a couple of bucks for them at the metal recycling center. Not much money to create such a danger to everyone else, he added.