Railway sleepers stolen

Hundreds of railway sleepers are being stolen from disused tracks in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

Railway owner Toll NZ says the sleepers, worth $60 each, are being sold through landscape and gardening shops for about $20.

Company spokeswoman Sue Foley said the tracks might be used again in the future, so Toll had to pay for replacement sleepers.

Toll sells old sleepers through a company, Sims, and wants shops selling sleepers to deal only with it.