Villeurbanne: copper thefts plunge entire neighbourhoods into darkness
Kilometres of cables stolen since February have deprived around a hundred streets of public lighting. The total damage is estimated at 150,000 euros.
Cables torn out, streets without light
According to France Info, the city of Villeurbanne in the Rhône has been suffering since February from a series of copper thefts that are seriously disrupting public lighting. Kilometres of cables have been stolen, leaving around a hundred streets plunged into darkness at night. The total damage is estimated at 150,000 euros.
Thomas Mouyon, head of Villeurbanne's public lighting service, described the method used by the thieves: "You can see that in this chamber, two cables have been cut. These two cables leave the chamber and go all the way to the public lighting post next to it." Municipal workers who patrol the streets daily had never observed such a level of looting. Access to the cables is considered particularly easy: "Either with a screwdriver, or they lift them by hand," one of them demonstrated.
Residents forced to be cautious
The consequences are being felt directly by residents. "Especially in the evening when I get home. I have bike lights, but if you don't have any, it's very dangerous," a cyclist testified. A resident added: "When you're walking, you have to be careful. So you don't trip on holes or bumps on the pavement that could make you fall."
The lighting failure affects around a hundred streets across the municipality, making nocturnal travel on foot or by bicycle particularly risky for people without lighting equipment.
Copper, an increasingly sought-after metal
The surge in copper prices partly explains the scale of the phenomenon. The tonne is currently trading at 12,000 euros, a rise of 20 per cent over a year. Given this increase in value, public lighting cables constitute an easy and profitable target for thieves.
The town hall has filed a complaint and is seeking solutions to stem the thefts. Pauline Schlosser, deputy (The Greens) in charge of mobility and public spaces, acknowledged the limitations of existing measures: "Video surveillance allows us to pay attention to what is happening, notably during the day. But there are a huge number of public lighting posts. Villeurbanne has over 9,000 light points, so it is colossal and it is expensive."
Scrap dealers in the region on alert
The increase in thefts has also put professionals in the sector on alert. Tony Michel, a scrap dealer in Saint-Genis-Laval in the Rhône, indicated he is adopting increased vigilance when he receives offers to buy copper from private individuals: "When someone calls me to sell copper, most of the time, if it's not from a building site, I don't buy it."
With growing demand for copper and prices that are not falling, local authorities anticipate a continuation of tensions around this metal in the months to come.
Source: France Info