The CLA today said Home Office Minister Lord Henley had accepted its suggestion to "take the cash out of scrap" in his statement that the scrap metal industry could face tougher regulation as the Government gets serious about cracking down on metal theft.
The Crime Prevention Minister said cash payments could be banned to make metal transactions easier to trace preventing the current "no questions asked" policy in scrap dealing.
The CLA has been urging the Government to consider taking the cash out of scrap by lobbying to legislate against dealers buying metal with cash because stolen metal is being traded too easily within the scrap metal industry.
CLA President Harry Cotterell said: "We welcome Lord Henley’s support. Banning cash sales would crack down on anonymous sellers because the metal could always be traced back to the person who sold it to the dealer.
"CLA members have reported hundreds of incidences of metal thefts from their properties and not enough is being done to stop gangs stealing to order because the police are not given enough power to curb the problem."
One CLA member from Anglesey reported the theft of two metal planters from outside his front door when he was in the house. The local police force told him there are at least two gangs operating on the island.
The lead roof of The Temple, a Grade II-listed holiday cottage in the heart of the Shropshire countryside, has been targeted four times over three years costing the owners almost £60,000 in replacement lead and repairs.
Furthermore, a gang stripped out the copper pipework of 16 toilets, six showers and 12 basins overnight from a campsite in Wales. The owner estimates the worth of the piping to be just £200 but he had to pay thousands to have the facilities repaired.
