THIEVES stealing metal and piping from abandoned fridges and freezers are releasing gases into the atmosphere which go on to damage the ozone layer, it has been claimed.

Fridges and other white goods are left at the Oakley Wood site, near Wallingford, to be dealt with properly to neutralise the dangerous gases. But since the rise in the price of scrap metal earlier this year, thieves have been stripping brass and other metal out of the dumped fridges and freezers.

A regular user of the tip, who asked not be named, said: "It's an absolute disgrace -these people are totally irresponsible. These gases damage the atmosphere and the ozone layer and that affects everyone, and all just for a bit of scrap metal."

Another site user, who also declined to be named, said: "You see people around the site looking for what they can get. They can be very intimidating."

The damage is also worrying Oxfordshire County Council which owns the site.

John Cherry, waste services development officer, said: "We have had problems with people breaking into this site. If the pipework in fridges is tampered with then there is the potential danger for harmful gases to be released into the atmosphere. We are considering what to do about this situation."

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: "We are talking to the county council about these issues and will continue to investigate."