Great Britain has recently been hit by a wave of metal thieves who appear to spare nothing in their path. Manhole covers, lead from church roofs, electric cables, even memorial statues and plaques with the names of war dead are vanishing in the face of rising demand from Asia and a recycling industry that pays in cash and asks no questions.

The disappearances, which police say cost communities hundreds of millions of pounds a year, even forced a hospital in Wales to postpone critically-needed operations this month when one of its generators was stolen.