RE: The article on January 6 in which the county council asks scrap yards not to accept gully grates from drains after a spate of thefts.

THE thieves who steal the items and the scrap metal dealers who process them are destroying our heritage and endangering lives with their heinous crimes. Why are not the police more involved in preventing such criminal activity?

Were the police to increase their surveillance at scrap metal merchants, then fewer of them would be prepared to accept suspect items, therefore the incidences of theft might just reduce – Time for action to all our police forces please.

Meanwhile our MPs are to debate tough new laws to try to make such theft more difficult; I just don’t get it, surely receipt of stolen goods is a criminal offence? Despite my opinion, here’s more power to Graham Jones, MP, for trying to do something about it. Let us hope that our MPs ensure swift action rather than their usual shilly-shallying in trying to introduce effective legislation.

We must have action now to preserve our heritage and to preserve us from injury or worse.

It is of course up to us law-abiding citizens to maintain extra vigilance and try to report such crimes as they happen to the police, rather than just shrugging our shoulders and leaving it to someone else.

Richard JC English, Earl Close, High Wycombe