Lead thefts cost Shrewsbury Church tens of thousands of pounds
A church in Shrewsbury faces a bill of tens of thousands of pounds after lead was stolen from the roof twice in three months.
St Mary's Church, in St Mary's Place, Dogpole, was first hit by thieves in July, when 250sqft of lead was stolen.
In the latest incident, thieves stole another 150sqft of lead from the vestry on September 21.
The historic fabric of the building was damaged and in both cases, Battlefield Cafe had to close while the building was secured.
The Churches Conservation Trust has said that the damage on the church will cost the charity tens of thousands of pounds to repair.
Jessica Robertson, spokeswoman for the trust, said: "The Churches Conservation Trust is the national charity protecting historic churches at risk.
"We care for more than 350 buildings across England, including the wonderful St Mary’s Church in Shrewsbury, keeping them open and in use for all to enjoy.
"Sadly, on September 21 about 150sqft of lead was stolen from the roof of the vestry at St Mary’s. This follows a similar incident in July which saw an estimated 250sqft stolen.
"The cost of replacing the lead and repairing the damage to the historic fabric of the building will run into tens of thousands of pounds for our charity. In addition, on both occasions, the popular Battlefield Café was forced to close while the building was secured."
Jessica added that St Mary's Church is the eighth church in the trust's care which has been hit by metal theft this year alone.
She said: "At present, we need to raise more than £1 million to re-cover all of the roofs stripped of lead in our estate.
"Historic England has launched Operation Crucible – a campaign aimed specifically at targeting metal thefts at historic buildings and sites."
West Mercia Police are now appealing for anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
Paul Roberts, spokesman for West Mercia Police, said: "Police are investigating the theft of lead from St Mary's Church in Shrewsbury on September 21.
"The incident is believed to have happened sometime between 1am and 3am, when lead was taking from the vestry roof by an unknown offender or offenders."
Anyone who witnessed any suspicious behaviour in the area at the time is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident number 227s of September 21. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org
