By Charlotte Beugge

The government is to crack down on anyone dealing in stolen scrap metal. Rising commodity prices have resulted in a huge increase in theft of metal from buildings, railways and even war memorials.

It is estimated that around 1,000 thefts are occurring each week and are costing the country around £1 billion - and hitting everyone's home insurance premiums.

Home secretary Theresa May is banning cash transactions and introducing unlimited fines for people caught trading stolen scrap metal.

The ban on cash trading on scrap metal will be included in the Legal Aid Bill and in addition the government is getting rid of the £1,000 limit on fines for those found dealing in stolen metal, making fines potentially limitless.

Churches have been particularly hard hit by thieves, as have railways - there were 705 thefts on the London rail and underground network last year.

Thieves have targeted the copper wire used by telecoms and transport, as the price of the metal has more than doubled in a year. A recent storyline in the long-running radio soap The Archers had the village left without phone and broadband after thieves stole copper wiring.

Private homes are not immune from metal thieves. Residents in a block of flats in the London Borough of Bexley had to be evacuated after their homes were flooded and lost power when thieves attacked copper piping on the water tanks.

And a copper water tank was stolen from an unoccupied home in Norfolk, according to the local constabulary's website.