A SPIKE in the number of stone slab thefts in Accrington has been slammed by councillors and the police.

In the past week there have been 12 targeted stone thefts in Accrington including in Accrington’s Burnley Road and Manchester Road as well as in Oswaldtwistle and Church.

MORE TOP STORIES:

The most recent incident comes after slabs were taken from a wall in Oak Hill Park on Monday.

Officers have warned residents to ‘secure’ their stone slabs and have appealed for help to catch the thieves.

Cllr Judith Addison, who represents the Immanuel ward on Hyndburn Council, said: “I seem to be reading almost daily about thefts of stone slabs from park walls, Church and Oswaldtwistle Railway Station, and many other Hyndburn locations.

“It’s several weeks since I heard about the first bad episode at Stanhill Memorial Gardens just after the launch of the heritage trail.

“Apart from the defacing of public and private property, people are reluctant to replace the stone in case the same thing happens again.

“I have heard of one detached house in Broadfield where the owner has replaced the stolen coping stones on top of the wall with concrete blocks cemented down in the hope that these remain in place.

“I’m sure Hyndburn is not the only area where large-scale stone theft is taking place.”

Last month, Pendle was the centre of a spike in thefts where stone flags were removed in the Colne and Trawden areas.

Police have urged residents to be on the lookout and call them if they notice anything.

PC Liz Sharpe, community beat manager, said: “We are aware of the increase in thefts, patrols are aware and are acting on any suspicious activity.

“At this time we are looking for help from members of the public and residents to help us locate the offenders.

“We are asking people with stone flags to ensure they are secured the best they can and if possible to make them identifiable.

“We would also be interested to know from the public if anything suspicious or unusual took place in any of these areas, such as unusual vans, work vehicles, increased high visibility work men looking out of place.

“This also includes anyone who may have any CCTV of suspicious vehicles.

“Use cameras and CCTV, let neighbours know and ask for them to report any suspicious activity to the police immediately.”

To make a report to the police call 101. or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.