Dear All,

Lead Theft

We are writing to ask those churches who have been affected by theft of roofing material (lead or copper) during the last three years if they could supply us with information about those incidents.  This request forms part of an information gathering exercise established by Historic England; it is part of a project which involves the Police and other partners with the aim of reducing and detecting this type of crime.

The project team would be grateful for details of offences (including any suspected or failed attempts) and a point of contact in order that one of the Heritage and Cultural Property Crime Analysts can make contact to obtain further details, if necessary. Details include date, time, place, designation (if known or applicable) plus details of what was stolen, but you can also include significant points of interest, e.g. how the roof was accessed, people arrested or whether crime prevention measures proved effective in deterring a more significant theft.

Lead theft does persist (despite lockdown) and does affect our churches. As well as the financial impact, serious and sometimes irreparable damage to heritage buildings and significant upset and emotional distress to individuals and communities may be caused by criminal activity of this type. We would very much like to help reduce this type of crime.

If you would like to offer details of any lead theft incident over the past three years then please contact the Connexional Conservation Officer on conservation@methodistchurch.org.uk by Friday 26th February 2021.

Best Wishes

Joanne