Bishop of Croydon's anger at lead theft (From Your Local Guardian)

Bishop of Croydon's anger at lead theft

3:27pm Tuesday 2nd September 2008 in

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Churches in Croydon are being repeatedly targeted by professional lead thieves.

More than £1m worth of lead is stolen every month from churches across the country.

The thieves strip lead from the roofs, and then sell it onto scrap dealers, cashing in on high metal prices.

According to Ecclesiastical Insurance, which provides cover for Church of England properties, London is a particularly hard-hit area, with over 60 claims from the Southwark and London dioceses costing nearly £200,000 in 2007.

“If the building is damaged it can be harmful to the community.”

Reverend Nick Baines

Most churches can replace the lead with cheaper materials such as felt or stainless steel but for listed buildings, English Heritage insists on like for like lead replacement.

Churches like St John The Evangelist in Upper Norwood, which was built in 1870, cannot afford to keep replacing the expensive metal.

Vicar Beverley Mason from St John’s spent £8,500 replacing stolen lead on her church. She was nearly run over by thieves when she caught them stealing lead from her church last year in August.

She said: “It was about 11.30 at night and I walked into the church on thieves stealing the lead. They tried to knock me over with their van which was really quite frightening. It was the second time our lead was stolen. We have had it replaced but it has pushed our insurance premiums up and we have had to invest in very heavy security measures.

“These thieves are professionals, they target a place and watch your movements. English Heritage insists that you replace lead for lead and the thieves know it. Business has never been so easy for them. They nick the lead, you replace it and then they nick it again.

Vicar Mason said that some people might not realise that the lead has even been stolen until it starts raining. “You will walk into your church and find that an ancient alter has been destroyed by a deluge and it’s really soul destroying.”

The Bishop of Croydon, Reverend Nick Baines said: “The important point is that these churches are not just nice buildings, in many cases they are the heart of the community.

“If the building is damaged it can be harmful to the community.”

A spokesman for English Heritage said: "Lead is very durable and performs extremely well as a roofing material. It can easily be repaired and much of it comes from recycled sources. It is also authentic and beautiful.”

They said that if the parish could not immediately afford lead they could use felt as a temporary measure.