The sand man seems to be getting it backward. He's supposed to bring sand, not steal it and possibly create a treacherous situation for drivers.
Someone has been stealing sand from the public works barrels in West Haven, creating a unique problem as they prepare for winter storms.
As fast city workers are filling sand barrels up, somebody is emptying them, Public Works Commissioner Beth Sabo said.
City workers put about 100 barrels out around town and filled them up with a salt-sand mixture that residents can throw on the pavement if roads ice up.
Sabo suspects private contractors are dumping whole barrels of the gritty material into the sanders in the backs of their trucks. At least one person has reported seeing a pickup truck pull up to a barrel and unload all of the sand into the back, she said.
