Distinctive London Stock bricks are highly sought after
Police in east London are investigating at least 30 brick thefts, with a particular antique brick being the main target.
According to the Evening Standard, thieves are targeting churches, cemeteries and even garden walls for rare “London stock” yellow bricks. They are very distinctive, particular to the area, and were the cheapest bricks available in Georgian times, but now fetch high sums.
A caretaker at Grade II-listed St Mary’s church in Leyton chased off three would-be brick robbers, and St Patrick’s Roman Catholic cemetery in Leytonstone has been targeted twice within the last month.
According to the Telegraph, reclamation yards might sell the bricks for £1.50, but they can fetch much more on the black market. The paper says they are often highly sought-after for building extensions, where planners stipulate that the materials used should be in keeping with their surroundings.
"Such robberies would need extremely large vehicles to haul the bricks, to make it profitable it would have to be thousands, rather than hundreds being stolen."
Michael Ankers, Brick Development Association
The bricks were used by masons and builders for the majority of building work in London and south-east until the early 20th century. The distinctive colour comes from the local clay from which the bricks were made.
Michael Ankers, chairman of the Brick Development Association, pointed out that there is currently not a shortage of bricks overall, and that thieves would need thousands of bricks, as well as large amounts of transport.
He told Construction Manager: “To me any such thefts must be driven by planning, a specific requirement or for the character or facade of an area.
“Also such robberies would need extremely large vehicles to haul the bricks, to make it profitable it would have to be thousands, rather than hundreds being stolen.
“It’s quite a surprising issue, as access to bricks or delivery times are not an issue at the moment. It’s also not a price issue as although bricks have risen in cost, it is more in line with the drop in price and recovery since the recession.”
He added that brick production had risen by more than 7% in 2015 compared with 2014, and was one-third higher than the low point reached in the lull in house-building in 2012.
