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
