Vancouver Police and warning you that metal thiefs are leaving a dangerous path in their wake.
Some lane ways in east Vancouver are hazardous to neogtiate with stolen storm grates leaving holes large enough for a child, pet or cyclist to fall into.
Sergeant Randy Fincham with the VPD says over the past two weeks 14 storm drains have gone missing from lanes around 41st Avenue east of Main Street.
He says they are being sold for scrap, “replacement on one of these is about $ 176 I think we’re looking at and you can see on the open market it’s about $ 14.”
The cost of the missing grates for the city is about $ 19,000 but, Fincham says, the bigger concern is safety.
He says 92 of the 140 pound grates were stolen in June then the thefts dwindled but, since September, the thefts are ramping up again.