SARASOTA -Thieves have stripped copper and aluminum from Sarasota County Utilities sites more than 20 times this year costing ratepayers about $40,000 in replacement costs, county officials stated this week.

The county has installed surveillance cameras at the utilities sites to deter more thefts, but officials are hoping the public can help them find the culprits.

"The loss of aluminum lids at lift stations costs $1,800 in Utilities revenues per theft, and it results in a possible safety hazard until the theft is discovered and the missing materials replaced," Fred Sherrod, manager of instrumentation technology for Sarasota County, stated in a press release.

In each case, the thieves used bolt cutters to remove padlocks into closed sites, carting off pounds of copper wiring and aluminum lift station lids weighing 50 pounds each. The lids are used to protect wells as deep as 30 feet that contain raw sewage.

"Someone who fell in would plummet over two stories before hitting the sewage," Sherrod stated in the release.

"The loss of wire from a transformer vault costs ratepayers up to $5,000 per incident, and could result in a sewage spill and additional safety risks if someone wanders into an open vault," he added. "These vaults contain areas of extremely high voltage that could be deadly to anyone who wanders in past an unlocked gate. That makes it a matter of public safety."

The county believes the thieves might be transporting the copper and aluminum lids to an illegal scrap metal dealer somewhere else in the state. Residents who have information about the thefts should contact the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office at (941) 861-5800 and refer to case number 07-70580.

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