|
Published:
July 9, 2008
Exclusive:
Mean thieves steal lead from church roofs in Burnham-On-Sea
 Mean
thieves have stolen strips of lead worth thousands of pounds from
the roofs of two churches in and around Burnham-On-Sea during
the past few days.
Police
are investigating separate incidents at St Andrew's Church in
Burnham (pictured right) and Berrow Church, both of which have
suffered at the hands of thieves.
John
Comer, a churchwarden at St Andrew's Church, told Burnham-On-Sea.com
the theft had only been discovered last week when water had begun
to seap through the church's roof near to the church organ.
"We
investigated further and have found around 20-30 square feet of
lead has been stripped away from the roof, while some of the lead
flashing has also been removed from the roof above the vestry."
"It's
sickening that this is happening, particularly at St Andrew's
when we only had the roof redone a few years ago."
 Reverend
Graham Witts added that the church is awaiting a visit from an
insurance assessor before the cost of the repairs will be known.
"In
the meantime, we've stepped up security in and around the church,"
he told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
In
a second separate incident, Berrow Church was also struck overnight
last Wednesday, and Geoff Gates, sidesman at the church, said
churchgoers had been left "shocked".
"It
does shake you up when something like this happens," he told
Burnham-On-Sea.com. "You don't expect it to happen in an
area like this."
"We
called in the police, who confirmed that two long strips of lead
had been removed from a flat roof on the southern side of the
church. The rain water was already starting to come in, so we've
patched it up."
Police
believe a rise in scrap metal prices, due to soaring demand from
emerging countries such as China and India, may be fuelling the
crime across the UK.
They
have urged anyone with information about this week's incidents
to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
This
photo shows how roof tiles on St Andrew's Church roof were pealed
away by the thieves to get access to the lead, leaving exposed
wooden boards
A
roof on the southern side of Berrow Church, pictured, has also
been struck by the mean thieves
|
