CRIMINAL gangs stealing metal in Dorset ship their haul abroad, scrap dealers told the Echo.

Copper theft has escalated during the recession and is estimated to cost £770 million a year.

Scrap dealers said they already have strict checks in place to stop metal being sold on locally.

But Cherie Phillips from Reliance Scrap Metal Merchants on Poole’s Nuffield Industrial Estate said: “We hear they store it in containers and then ship it abroad.

“If the thefts are in this area, it’s usually gone out of the area overnight, because the scrapyards here warn each other.”

Another Dorset dealer said: “You will find the police generally say the majority of the theft is going abroad.”

The price of copper is currently £4,772 a tonne, compared to around £1,900 two years ago, fuelled by demand in China and India.

High profile thefts from churches, railway lines and war memorials have led to calls from tougher regulations.

This month the Echo reported how thieves stole lead from the roof of Christchurch Waitrose.

And earlier this year copper thieves caused £4,000 worth of damage at St George’s Church at Oakdale in Poole.

The House of Lords is considering a Private Members Bill that calls for tougher licensing and more powers to close scrapyards.

The Local Government Association wants a ban on cash payments and automatic number plate recognition in every yard.

Dorset dealers already check registration plates and driving licenses through an agreement with Dorset Police and the Environment Agency.

Ray Bowers of Bowers scrapyard in Rossmore Road, Poole, said: “I think the current regulations are adequate.

“All we can do is go through the right motions, ask the right questions, and if someone is blatantly dodgy, call the police.”

Cherie Phillips, also said: “Since we started doing the photo IDs we have lost a fair few customers but they are the type of customers we don’t want.

“We think we with what we are doing locally, we don’t need any extra checks.”

Nelson Stanley from Nelson Stanley scrapyard in Alder Road, Poole, said stopping cash payments would drive away some genuine customers.