The shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has claimed that the laws governing the scrap metal industry need to be revised after a spate of metal thefts have forced many home owners and businesses to fork out for new metal products.

Ms Cooper claims that it is too easy for criminals to get away with the thefts and it is also too hard for the police to be able to do anything about it. The current regulations require scrap metal merchants to register with their local authority, however the police are powerless to do anything if they don’t.

The soaring price of metals such as cooper has led to a spate of thefts from railway lines, phone lines and even war memorials.

Ms Cooper’s constituency was also affected, with a gas leak caused by cable theft led to six houses blowing up. She commented “It’s a miracle no-one was killed.

“It’s too easy for people to get away with this and too hard for the police to be able to crack down what is clearly organised crime on a very serious scale.”