Guyana has banned scrap metal exports to close the market for thieves who have stripped copper and other valuable metals being stolen from traffic lights and other installations.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds announced the measure late Tuesday, saying exporters had not heeded warnings to crack down on the supply of stolen metals in this South American country.

The ban is immediate, Hinds said.

The Scrap Metal Dealers Association said it would seek permission for dealers to export current inventories.

In the most egregious example, thieves stole 1,200 metres (4,000 feet) of copper wire from the international airport's main runway in the late 1980s, forcing the cancellation of night flights for several days.

Thieves have also raided traffic lights in the capital and towns along the Atlantic coast. The government has spent US$1.2 million (euro880,000) for new lights that are currently being installed.

Thefts of metal, particularly copper, have become a widespread problem as metal prices have soared, partly driven by demand from China.

- AP