Daring thieves strip former Carlisle main Post Office

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Thieves have broken into the former main post office in Carlisle and stripped out thousands of pounds worth of copper pipes.

Police believe the burglars may have been working undisturbed for up to three weeks and reports suggest they may have secured the building with their own locks, allowing them to return at will.

The break-in, at the empty property in Warwick Road, was discovered only when a member of the public spotted an open door and raised the alarm.

One theory is that the thieves posed as buyers to inspect the building after it went on the market in March. A police spokeswoman said: “It looks as if quite a large amount of copper piping was stripped from the building.”

Officers found bags of copper pipes piled up ready for the thieves to return.

They say the burglars forced their way in by cutting through a padlock.

Neither the police nor the Post Office is prepared to put a value on the copper stolen but it is thought to run into many thousands of pounds. A Post Office spokesman said: “Police informed us on June 25 of the break-in at the former post office building and we are liaising with them while they investigate.”

The four-storey Edwardian post office, built by Laings, has been empty since May last year when the counter service transferred to WHSmith in English Street.

Commercial estate agent AtisReal, now BNP Paribas Real Estate, was offering it for sale at £800,000.

It was reported to be “under offer” in May but the proposed sale fell through.

Thefts of copper have become more common as its value has soared, driven by demand from China.

The price peaked at $9,000 a tonne last year but has since fallen back to just under $5,000, around £3,000.

An attempt to steal copper wiring from a quarry at Hallbankgate in 2007 caused £4,500 worth of damage and halted production for three days.

And last year copper cabling worth £15,000 was stolen from Graco Children’s Products in Denton Holme, Carlisle.

The Association of Chief Police Officers has set up a dedicated conductive metal thefts working group to combat the growing problem.

Electricity sub-stations, telephone cables, gas piping in homes, street furniture, school roofs and bronze statues have all been targeted.

Theft of metal has been described as the most serious threat to Britain’s railways apart from terrorism.