Scrap metal dealers are being targeted in a bid to reduce metal thefts in Croydon.

Local authorities are buckling under the weight of metal thefts which are on the rise across the country.

Croydon Council’s trading standards and licensing departments are joining forces with the police and Environment Agency as part of Operation Ferrous.

They will be visiting scrap dealers across the borough and asking the dealers to sign a pledge to stop metal thieves offloading their wares.

Dealers who sign the pledge will agree to keep a record of visitors to their premises, and operate a cashless system, requiring details of bank accounts for payments.

Local officers are also set to inspect known hotspots of illegitimate scrap metal dealing.

Councillor Simon Hoar, cabinet member for community safety, said: “The problem of metal theft is something that’s testing local authorities and the police up and down the country. Unfortunately, Croydon’s not exempt.

“That’s why we’ve launched Operation Ferrous. We’re confident that by working with the police in visiting scrap dealers’ premises, getting them to sign our retailers’ pledge, building up a dossier of related information, and carrying out covert exercises, we’ll make life very difficult for anybody looking to sell illegally gained metal in Croydon.”