Thieves strike again to steal church lightning rod

THIEVES have struck twice at a Rotherham church—stealing a lightning conductor weeks after copper piping was lifted from outside.
By Gareth Dennison
Published 11th May 2011, 09:38 BST
Updated 31st Dec 2016, 16:00 BST

And the congregation reckon the culprits will have been disappointed to discover the conductor was not copper but an aluminium alloy—worth about £200.

It was taken from St Leonard’s, Thrybergh, sometime between 5pm on Monday, April 25 and 8pm the following evening.

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Parishioners said the church had been saved by divine intervention when the previous theft in March caused a gas leak.

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Thieves risked their lives to snap copper piping from the boiler behind the Doncaster Road church.

The grade II-listed building could have gone up in flames had churchgoer Elizabeth Bates (71) not discovered and reported the gas leak in time.

In February the Heritage Lottery Fund announced a £139,000 grant for St Leonard’s and the community is already at work to meet its match-funding target.

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The cash windfall would secure extensive and vital improvement works including the roof, drainage and interior.

Anyone with information about the theft should call South Yorkshire Police on 01142 202020 quoting reference C/40149/2011.