US dustcart mystery

NEW YORK (AP) - Thieves are stealing city rubbish trucks in an epidemic that is baffling Sanitation Department staff, according to a published report.

The New York Post reported yesterday that 11 trucks, each weighing 18 tons, have vanished in the last five months. Each truck costs dollars 110,000 ( pounds 72,000).

In the past, the department has lost two or three trucks a year, a spokeswoman, Anne Canty, told the Post. 'We don't know where they are or how they are being disposed of,' Ms Canty said, referring to the truck thefts.

The latest theft occurred on Monday in the Bronx. The city has 2,000 trucks in its fleet.