Police investigate spate of door knocker thefts

Thieves are stealing metal knockers from the front doors of homes. Police are investigating a spate of the bizarre thefts on three separate streets in Radcliffe, Bury, Lancashire.

There have been 19 reported thefts in total and on one street, 15 houses were hit over the weekend alone. Residents on Hampson Fold woke up to find their front door knockers missing. John Fielding, 78, has lived in Hampsen Fold with his wife Beryl, 73, for ten years. He said it was the third time in 18 months that door knockers had been stolen in the close.



He said: "This time we found out when the warden came round and she said: 'where's your knocker? We told her: 'It hasn't happened again has it?'" The couple said that the knocker was of limited value and that they were surprised that it had been taken. John added: "They won't make a lot on them. I can't see them being worth anything. They're not brass or copper. It's daft isn't it really.”

Another resident George Victor Fields, 68, called the police to raise the alarm on Monday morning. He said: "They never found them before and they will never catch them. I can't understand why they're doing it. They aren't brass. What do they do with them?" Investigating officers believe metal thieves seeking to weigh them in for cash are behind the outbreak.