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Manhole covers vanish in the night
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by Paul Conneally | October 28, 2007 at 08:24 am
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They strike in the dead of night and at dawn the population rises to a sinister peril.
London has joined the select band of world cities cursed by the mysterious phenomenon of manhole cover theft.
The target has been Newham, east London, where in recent weeks nearly 200 grates and covers have been stolen. The thieves made off with 93 covers in one week. Bemused council officials have been trying to locate and cover the holes before someone disappears.
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at 07:16 on January 30th, 2008
I once lived in a city that had this problem. People would fall down the holes at night: if lucky, they would be scuffed and shocked, at worse people would break bones and even in a few cases, become paralysed. It is a sign of the poverty levels in a city and also a breakdown in civic pride. It tells you a lot about today's London. Solutions include welding down the covers, or spray painting bright yellow rings around the holes so people can see where they are.