MORE than 40 grates have been stolen in Burnley in the past month, costing tax payers over £8,000.

And Lancashire County Council which installs the grates is calling the thefts dangerous' and irresponsible'.

During the last four weeks 43 cast iron grates have been stolen and around 75 have gone missing in the previous year.

Police believe the grates, which cost taxpayers £200 a time to replace, are being sold for scrap metal.

This week 13 grates have been stolen from the Stoops Estate and Accrington Road areas and 14 grates were stolen from Duke Bar area on Thursday and Friday.

County council bosses say that stealing the grates means that there will be less money available to spend on other maintenance work.

Police believe the thieves were wearing high visibility jackets and posing as council workers, and are warning residents to report any suspicious activity.

They are appealing for witnesses to and believe the thieves to be young, white males using a red Ford Transit van.

Sgt Phil Carter of Burnley Police said: "The scrap metal industry is booming but we are working with the scrap yards to track down where the metal is coming from.

"We have also warned scrap yards that we are putting banning orders in place to known suspects dealing in scrap metal. Stealing grates can be very costly to the county council and also very dangerous for people who could fall into holes."

Duncan Reeve, an engineer for Lancashire County Council said: "Stealing the grates is highly irresponsible and dangerous. The hole left by the grates is about 18 ins across and 3ft deep, a child could easily fall into it.

"To replace one grate costs £200, which comes out of the county council budget and means there is less money for other work."

The grates have been replaced with lightweight alternatives made of a different metal with a lower scrap resale value.

Anyone with information about the thefts should contact Burnley police on 01282 425001 or Crime-stoppers on 0800 555 111.