Police in Nottingham are looking into a number of bin thefts after more than 30 have been stolen from different parts of the city.
Nottinghamshire Police have teamed up with officers from Nottingham Community Protection in an attempt to find out who is stealing the bins which cost Nottingham City Council £350 to replace.
The council is now looking at replacing the metal bins with glass ones in the hope that it will deter the thieves.
Community protection officer Wayne Hobbs said that they have started to use ‘smart water’ on the bins to deter thieves even more.
“We are working in close partnership with Nottinghamshire Police, we have active officers that are on the beat looking for intel,” he added.
“The bins are fairly heavy, we are presuming that they are going to scrap. All our scraps our regulated, the dealers are regulated, we are doing stop and search on all vehicles to make sure they are licensed.
“We are trying to close the net on them, but a few are getting away.”
Cleanest city
The bin thefts come after Nottingham was crowned Britain’s cleanest city.
According to Councillor Nicola Heaton, Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for community services, the thefts are a big blow in light of the recent award.
“This is definitely a step back, and what’s more important is that it’s a step back in the neighbourhoods where we have always prided ourselves on keeping as clean as the city centre,” she said.
“But I think that most people are responsible, and wouldn’t throw litter down just because there is not a bin there.”
