Thieves Make Off With 10-Ton Bridge


Thieves recently got away with stealing a 10-ton bridge in the Czech Republic earlier this year. How, do you ask, were thieves able to steal a bridge? It’s simple really.

A railroad spokesman Pavel Halla reported that the theft, which was worth millions, happened when a group, claiming that a bridge in Slavkov had to come down. Halla stated:

“The thieves said they had been hired to demolish the bridge, and remove the unwanted railway track to make way for a new cycle route.”

They came with very convincing, albeit forged, paperwork, which passed inspection, allowing the thieves to dismantle and take away the bridge, along with 650 feet of unused railroad track. Halla went on to stated that:

“It was only after they had gone that checks were made and we realised we’d been had. The cost of replacing the bridge will run into millions.”

This is not the first bridge to be stolen in the Czech Republic, though it is the largest. In 2008, thieves made off with a 4-ton railway bridge outside the Czech city of Cheb. A police spokeswoman stated of that theft that, “We are not sure if it was taken for personal use or for its scrap value.”

While stealing bridges is not a regular occurrence, stealing metal has become a commonplace activity, especially in the face of an economic crisis. Thieves have been known to strip copper wire from the insides of traffic lights and street lights. Metal theft in Great Britain is estimated to cost the economy about £770 million every year.

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