Wooden gates to deter Denbighshire metal thieves?

An article caught my eye this week in our local daily newspaper, The Daily Post. It seems that recently, metal thieves have moved on from targetting lead on roofs to stealing people’s metal gates in the Denbighshire area, no doubt in order to take them to scrapyards to weigh in for cash?

In Rhyl alone, four pairs of cast iron gates were stolen in one night…………..

What can you do to stop this?

Well, naturally, I’m biased and would say that if you’re on the lookout for a pair of gates, then go for wooden gates, as nothing can beat the natural beauty of timber and you certainly won’t find anybody stealing the gates so they can make a bit of extra cash from weighing them in at a scrapyard!

Worried that somebody could steal your metal or wooden gates?

If you’ve really got to go for metal gates then, as with wooden gates, make sure once fitted, it’s not a case that the gates can simply be lifted off their hinges and stolen – this is probably the easiest way anybody could steal your gates. There are various methods you can employ to stop the gates being lifted off; the most simple method with wooden gates is to simply turn the top hinge pin plate upside down when the gate is fitted (you can use also use this method with metal gates) meaning that the gate is trapped in place. If you’re having some gates fitted in the near future, then bear this in mind and ask your installer what he can do to reduce the possibilities of your gates being stolen. As with most things, you can reduce the risks of the gates being stolen but at the end of the day, if someone is really determined, then they will probably find some way of taking what is not theirs.