Lead worth thousands stolen from Conisbrough church

The 1,250-year old St Peter’s Church in Conisbrough was hit first on Saturday night and again on Monday evening, with six panels of lead, measuring 10 x 5 feet, taken.

Now, following similar previous thefts, St Peter’s—one of the ten oldest churches in England—is going lead free by fitting steel replacements which will cost around around £50,000.

Raiders had already made a couple of attempts to steal lead earlier this month, causing damage to stonework and stainless steel which had been used to repair the roof from an earlier theft in 2008.

Thieves then returned and stole five large panels of lead over the weekend before going back again on Monday.

Two years ago, parishioners rallied round to raise funds after young vandals ransacked the church, causing £25,000 worth of damage when they shattered irreplaceable stained glass windows dating back centuries and smashed altar crosses to pieces.

Afterwards CCTV cameras were fitted free of charge by a local firm.

Vicar of St Peter’s, the Rev Alan Griffiths, said: “We have been targeted before.

“I'm horrified that we have this on-going problem.

“But we’re certainly not unique—lots of churches across the country have lead stolen. One church in Wath has been hit 14 times.

“These people have no respect either for a church or for an ancient building.”

Church warden Peter Henderson said that from the scale of the theft the thieves must have known what they were doing.

“The amount of lead taken from the main roof this time is well over a tonne, it’s got to be an organised job—they're professional thieves,” he said.

“The cost of steel replacements will be between £40,000 to £50,000.”

The church uses Smart Water to identify property, but it is unlikely the lead will be recovered.