Residents say burglars are ‘taking whatever they like’ from recycling centre

Residents in Alconbury are calling for police to do more after it was revealed that a recycling centre in the village was broken into more than 50 times last year.

The centre, situated in Wood Walton Road, is run by waste management company Amey on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council, but has been plagued by break-ins in the last 12 months, with 57 incidents recorded by police in 2017.

And, in January of this year alone, the centre has been broken into a further 15 times, angering neighbours of the site, who want police to take action.

Tony Hall, of Alconbury Weston, said: “We have been trying to get someone to do something about these break-ins for so long and nothing has been done.

“It is not about the fact that the recycling centre has poor security, it’s about the fact that criminals are brazenly taking whatever they want around our community.”

The majority of the break-ins have seen thieves stealing electrical goods, which are taken to the centre for recycling and reuse.

Mr Hall added that residents were urging Cambridge Constabulary to tighten security around the site.

A spokesman for the constabulary said: “Our crime reduction officers have been working with the owners of the recycling centre to advise on measures for them to consider taking to help reduce the risk of further offences.

“We have increased patrols in the area with additional support from our roads policing unit.

“A lot of burglary offences are committed by opportunists, so there are steps local residents can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim. Simple things like keeping valuables out of sight can often deter thieves. Further detail on crime prevention advice can be found on our website.”

The force spokesman added that three men had been arrested on January 18 as result of increased patrols, though they were later released with no further action.

A spokesman for Amey said: “We make every effort to keep our sites secure however, unfortunately, we have experienced a number of break-ins at our recycling centre recently.

“We are working closely with the police with regard to these incidents. A number of new measures have been introduced to keep our site safe and prevent further break-ins. These include dead locks for skips and increased site security.

“We are also considering extra measures such as additional CCTV cameras on site.

We would urge the public to contact the police if they have any relevant information or if they see anything suspicious.”