[MSN] Lead stolen from church roofs to ship to China

[Museum Security Network Mailing list]

Lead stolen from church roofs to ship to China
By Jasper Copping, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 2:15am BST 07/08/2007

Police have warned of a bizarre crime wave sweeping Britain as thieves strip
millions of pounds' worth of metal off buildings to ship to China and other
countries where demand is soaring.

   
Costly: The damaged roof of the Ragged School Museum, which was left with a
repair bill of £20,000
 
Thousands of properties - including hundreds of churches and other historic
buildings with lead roofs - have been targeted by organised gangs who sell
the metal on to unscrupulous dealers.

It is then shipped overseas, either as scrap or after being melted down, to
countries such as India, China and Dubai, which are struggling to find
enough materials to keep their booming manufacturing and building industries
supplied.

According to Ecclesiastical Insurance, which provides cover for most Church
of England properties, lead thefts have trebled while copper thefts have
multiplied by 10 since 2005. In the past 16 months they have received 750
claims, totalling £1.2 million.

Chris Pitt, from the company, said: "These people have to be organised
because of the amounts they are getting away with. These buildings will
never be the same again once they've been stripped in this way."

advertisementThe gangs are also ripping lightning conductors from spires
using towropes and vehicles and stealing bells.

Among the hundreds of churches targeted have been the 13th-century St
Nicholas's Church, in Great Kimble, Bucks, which suffered damage of more
than £10,000, and St Mary's Church, in Woolpit, Suffolk.

The Ragged School Museum - a local history museum in a Grade II listed
building in east London - suffered £20,000 of damage when lead was stolen
from its roof.

Eleanor Clark, the museum's director, said: "Any building that looks old is
being targeted."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/