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Theft of copper pipes and cables from gas heating systems installed at apartment buildings and construction sites, a practice that first surged during the country\u2019s economic crisis, continues to be rampant, police reports have indicated. \u00a0<\/p>\n
A woman living on the third floor of a seven-story apartment building in the Nea Filadelfia district of Athens told Kathimerini that thieves targeting copper struck her building three times within two weeks last month.<\/p>\n
Athanasios Stroumboulis, president of the Athens Plumbers Association, told Kathimerini that the matter has yet to be effectively addressed since emerging as an issue during Greece\u2019s economic crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCopper remains a highly sought-after material for scrap,\u201d the association\u2019s chief told Kathimerini, adding that, in many instances, plumbers and contractors have had to adapt by replacing copper pipes with iron pipes, at least for external heating installations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although iron pipes are significantly cheaper, they are inferior in quality and less durable. Additionally, their greater weight makes them much more difficult for plumbers to handle.<\/p>\n
Stroumboulis pointed out that numerous complaints made by the association he leads, both to scrap yards for their ongoing acceptance of clearly stolen materials and to the authorities, have gone unaddressed.<\/p>\n
Cutting into disconnected gas pipes, a task for qualified professionals, does not pose immediate hazards.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n