Landlords warned metal thefts put lives at risk

Thieves have been stealing the brass or copper valves used on dry riser pipes in order to sell the valuable metal.

Dry risers allow firefighters access to the water supply on each floor of a high-rise block but they are unable to do this if the valves are missing, hindering their ability to put out the blaze.

Firefighters in Aberdeen this week spoke out after being hampered by missing dry riser valves in tackling a fire in the council-owned Kings Court tower block in the Tillydrone area of the city on 17 April. Firefighters were forced to use extinguishers and buckets of water to tackle the early morning blaze on the 10th and 12th floors of the building. No one was injured.

Andy Coueslant, north of Scotland area coordinator at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said firefighters in Aberdeen have found several dry riser valves missing in both private and social housing blocks through inspections and on arriving at fires over the past 12 months.

He added the Aberdeen fire service has been working with housing associations in the city and Aberdeen Council to deal with the problem.

A spokesperson for the council said it checks the dry risers in the tower blocks regularly, and will check them more regularly following the incident.

Roy Wilsher, chief fire officer at Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and director of operations at the Chief Fire Officers Association, said: ‘There have been about six blocks in the past 18 months [in Hertfordshire] which have had these [dry riser metal] thefts.’

Dave Curry, director of prevention and protection at the CFOA, said it was the landlords’ responsibility to check the dry risers through fire risk assessments.

‘Under the fire risk assessment [building owners] should ensure fixed fire capabilities, such as dry risers and fire service lifts, are fit for purpose and ready for us to use.’

Thieves stole dry riser valves from Islington Council’s Harvist estate in Holloway last spring. It costs about £270 to replace each valve, according to the authority.

Paul Convery, Islington Council’s executive member for community safety, said: ‘Thefts of this type are very irresponsible and could put lives at risk.

‘In the last year we’ve done a lot of work to secure these valves - including welding them in place and adding bolts for extra security - and there’s been a big drop in thefts. In recent weeks we have had no thefts at all.’