Summer residents of beach communities in Rhode Island’s Washington County are finding the copper plumbing missing from their vacation homes and cottages, the Providence Journal reported June 5.

More than a dozen residents of Roy Carpenter’s Beach have had copper pipes stolen in recent weeks, the paper said.

The community of 377 small seasonal cottages is largely empty during the winter. In the last two months, out-state owners have returned to find broken pipes and water flooding their residences.

With copper at record prices of near $4 a pound, the paper reports that thieves can earn $100 to $500 from each break-in.

The full story is at www.projo.com/ri/southkingstown/content/SC_COPPER_THEFT_06-05-08_HAACMFF_v16.381004d.html.