240,000 Manholes Stolen To Sell As Scrap Metal

[jeffrey]

From reuters.co.uk

China's capital is testing a new kind of manhole cover to put a lid on rampant theft, Xinhua news agency says.

Missing manhole covers are a hazardous fact of life on the sidewalks and roads of Beijing where they are stolen to be sold as scrap for a couple of dollars each...

Beijing has more than 600,000 manhole covers across the city owned by 18 companies. "Approximately 240,000 manhole and street- drain covers were stolen in Beijing in 2004," Xinhua said... Entire Story Here