By Connor Briggs
Burley residents awoke to find a 25ft stretch of Yorkshire Stone pavement had been stolen from outside their homes earlier this week.
The theft occurred overnight (Monday to Tuesday, 3-4 April) at the Lumley Road junction with Lumley Walk and is the latest in a spate of stone thefts in the Burley area.
Resident Chris Fletcher reported this to Leeds Council. He said: “I would like it repaired the best it can be, I’ve messaged the local councillor this morning. It’s just part of living here, it’s been happening for years.”
Another resident, Felix Caribe, said: “Who steals a pavement? We’ve got a pushchair and if this happened outside our house it would be a pain. It doesn’t make it feel a very nice place to live.”
Molly Bryant stated: “There’s so many going at the minute it’s ridiculous. The council have been replacing them pretty quickly, but I feel like the root problem isn’t the pavements been stolen, it’s that people are struggling and £90 for a paving slab is worth it for them I guess.”
Kirkstall ward councillors are aware of the problems and are encouraging people to report any thefts.
Cllr Fiona Venner (Lab, Kirkstall) said: “Theft of paving stones is an ongoing issue across parts of Leeds. It is a blight on local areas and causes distress to local residents.
“We have recently suffered a number of thefts in the Kirkstall ward, in Burley and central Kirkstall. When a theft occurs, the council will fill the gap in with tarmac to make the pavement safe. The council endeavours to replace the stone wherever possible, but this is dependent on being able to source and pay for replacement stone.
“Residents are strongly encouraged to report all removal of paving stone to the police. The Kirkstall councillors are in ongoing liaison with the police and there have been additional patrols in the Burley area.
“I would request that Kirkstall Ward thefts are also reported to me at fiona.venner@leeds.gov.uk. I report them directly to the Kirkstall Ward Sergeant to ensure they are recorded as a crime. This also enables us both to keep track of thefts.”
People complain about the thefts but strangely enough, no-one ever sees anything.