Overview
- The municipal campground in Langeais, near Tours, was found with its showers and sinks smashed so thieves could rip out short runs of copper pipe, prompting a police complaint and a gendarmerie probe.
- Town officials say the haul was worth only a few hundred euros, yet they expect about €40,000 to €50,000 of work to rebuild the sanitary block.
- The damage could delay the planned summer reopening of the 70-pitch site on the Loire à vélo route, which local shopkeepers fear will cut tourist traffic and seasonal income.
- Reporters note copper’s price has roughly tripled in a decade, with resale around €8.80 per kilo and nearly €12,000 per tonne, which helps explain the surge in opportunistic stripping.
- The wave of thefts now hits varied targets, with Uzeste’s classified church replacing stolen copper gutters with PVC after repeated raids and Villeurbanne reporting about 100 unlit streets, more than 400 lamp posts hit, and nearly €160,000 in losses.