Lead worth £5,000 stolen from Telford church roof

Thieves have stolen more than £5,000 worth of lead from a church roof in Shropshire.

The discovery was only made on Wednesday when the warden at the Holy Trinity Church in Coalbrookdale, near Ironbridge, noticed water leaking through the ceiling.

Denise Wakefield, spokeswoman for Telford police, said about 40ft of lead had been removed from the roof.

She said: "The churchwarden noticed that water had started to leak into the building on Wednesday.

"After looking further into the matter, it was discovered that a substantial amount of lead had been taken from the roof. It is believed to have been stolen sometime during the last week.

"It is likely that thieves would have had to climb on the outside of the church as nobody had access inside the tower."

She added police were now investigating the theft.

"If you saw or heard anything suspicious or have been offered a large amount of lead in unusual circumstances, then we would like to hear from you," she added.

Anyone with information can call Telford police on 0300 333300 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 08000 555111.