KEY POINTS:
Two Auckland police officers who stopped a car because its suspension was dragging along the motorway found it was loaded with tonnes of copper piping.
The officers were just about to finish duty on Saturday night when they spotted the heavily laden car travelling towards the Harbour Bridge in the south-bound lane of the Northern motorway.
Worried about the condition of the car they pulled the driver over to speak to him, then found the copper piping in the boot.
The copper - which fetches about $4 a kilo at scrap-metal dealers - is believed to have been stolen.
North Shore acting operations manager Senior Sergeant Gary Hill said the men, aged 17 and 41, were taken back to the station but refused to tell police where they got it from.
It is suspected that the copper may have been stolen from a bus lane construction site near Tristram Ave.
Police want to hear from anyone who believes it may be theirs.
Mr Hill said the men were charged with receiving and released on bail on the condition they don't associate with each other.
Less than 12 hours later they breached that bail condition when they were caught acting suspiciously on a building site in Pukekohe.
Mr Hill said police have had problems with copper being stolen in the past. Last year a prolific North Shore burglar was charged in connection with the theft of copper downpipes from three local schools.
That case is not believed to be connected to this one but police say it is a timely reminder for contractors to keep copper locked in a secure building rather than on construction sites.
Scrap metal dealers are also being urged to report any suspicious behaviour from people trying to make money from copper.
* Anyone with information about the 10mm underground copper piping can contact Senior Sergeant Hill on 477 5090.
