Thieves take £50k of metal from churches

Churches in the Black Country have been hit by more than £50,000 worth of metal thefts since January, the latest figures have revealed.

In Staffordshire, more than £46,000 worth of metal was stolen in the last financial year.

The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, show that lead from church roofs is the most frequently stolen, but thieves have also taken copper, aluminium and brass. Staffordshire Police say £46,692 worth of metal was stolen from the churches it covers.

This was between April 2010 and April 2011, compared to £45,091 the year before. West Midlands Police said that in Walsall alone, £29,801 worth of metal was stolen from places of worship between January and October this year.

In Dudley, £10,331 was stripped. In Sandwell the most popular item to steal from a church was iron, with £3,000 worth going missing in just nine months. In Wolverhampton, £2,864 of lead was stolen.

Many churches are finding that insurance companies are now only willing to pay out up to £5,000 to cover lead thefts because of the sheer number of claims.

Churches are having to take on extra fundraising to get the damage repaired.

In September thieves stripped £12,000 of lead from St Mary's and All Saints Church in Bradley, near Stafford. The roof was replaced two years ago after a fundraising effort raised £30,000. A quarter of this new lead was stolen.

Church warden David Beech said: "We were hoping to get a new heating system but we can't do that now because we had to spend the money on the roof."

Around £40,000 of damage was caused in September after lead was stolen from the roof of St Matthew's Church.

Rector Colin Gibson said English Heritage has told the church it must pay for the whole roof to be replaced at a cost of £400,000 because it is Grade II listed.