RESIDENTS on a Great Yarmouth street had a lucky escape after copper piping was stolen from outside a house - while it was still attached to the gas mains and appliances inside the property.
Police warned the theft could have caused an explosion but thankfully there safety measures stopped any serious incident.
Around 10 metres of piping was removed from the rear of the house in Wolseley Road, which is under renovation, between the morning of January 1 and the afternoon of January 7.
Investigating officer PC Mark Carrier said: 'The piping was still connected to the gas mains and the boiler and kitchen appliances inside. Fortunately the owner had put in safety measures to ensure the supply was off, but the thieves would not have known this.
'Had the supply still been on there could have been a buildup of gas leading to an explosion, and in a mid-terrace property such as this it could easily have caused considerable damage, injury or worse.'
Anyone with information about the theft should call PC Carrier at Gorleston on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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