WHERE there is money to be made, thieves won't be far away.

They are now lining their pockets, thanks to the rocketing price of scrap metal.

There have been 1,877 thefts in Oxfordshire in the past year, during which prices have risen four-fold.

All sorts of metal are disappearing from all sorts of places.

And it is not only organised gangs who are reaping huge rewards - police believe that many opportunist thieves are jumping on the bandwagon to earn a dishonest buck.

Victims have a chance of securing their property if it is inside buildings, but they haven't much hope if it is outside.

So far, it seems, the police have had little luck in catching the thieves and clamping down on this growing illegal trade.

But scrap metal dealers and others in the community must have their suspicions.

It is time to grass these gangs.