Thieves take library roof lead
Thieves have stolen £2,000 worth of lead sheets from the roof of Burntwood Library, forcing a summer holiday children's storytelling session to be called off at the popular venue.
The culprits stole the sheets from above the children's area of the library and as a result rain leaked into the roof space of the Sankeys Corner venue, falling on to the structure and electrics.
No stock was damaged, but the children's books have had to be moved into the adult section.
Staff discovered the theft on Saturday morning as they arrived for work, and had to shut off the electricity mains while the venue was checked.
But an event for young children scheduled to take place yesterday morning was cancelled due to health and safety reasons.
A spokesman for Staffordshire County Council said: "The lead sheets were moulded on to the roof and around £2,000 worth have been stolen. This is an on-going issue and the library has been targeted before."
The spokesman added as a result of the theft, a scheduled replacement of the library's roof had been speeded up.
He also said it was likely the thieves would have needed equipment to climb on to the roof and a vehicle to take the sheeting away.
