Twenty manhole covers have been stolen from Kenley in just two days.

The thefts, which happened early in the morning of April 12 and 13 have cost the council £6,000.

Two men were spotted stealing a drain cover by a resident in Northwood Road, but by the time she had called the police, they had driven off.

They are believed to be linked to similar thefts in Surrey and South London.

The council have replaced the drain covers with new ones made of less expensive metal which are harder to remove.

Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for highways, said: “The recent increase in scrap metal values has given us a real headache. These thieves are targeting roads all around South London and Surrey right now, and it is putting a strain on stocks of replacement covers.

“The frustrating thing is that it costs us about ten times as much to replace a cover as these people make from the scrap.

“Apart from the cost these crimes present a serious risk to the public. We make the holes safe as soon as we can, but there have been cases in the country of people being either badly injured or even killed because of missing drain covers.”

Ian Hetherington, director general at the British Metals Recycling Association, said: "Metals theft is a real problem for the industry.

"To combat this we’re working with the Association of Chief Police Officers and industries including telecommunications, railways, utilities and construction that use products containing valuable metals.

"Our joint code of practice is a strong reflection of our commitment to tackling the problem and shows how the industry is supporting businesses to reduce the number of incidents.

"It’s important to remind homeowners and businesses, including metals recyclers, who regularly suffer attacks from criminals, to seek rapid police response.

"Experience shows that robust policing and attention to security procedures are important deterrents to thieves."