[harg]

At least in the UK, many of the sheffield stands are made of fairly thick-walled steel and 50mm outer diameter. It would take quite a bit of time and effort to cut one with any hand tool. A solid design would be complete overkill and make them really expensive.

That said, some do pop every now and then up that seem to be quite flimsy, often having been bent down to a 45 deg angle by a careless motorist.