Editorial comment
sir – I have a sin to confess. Here goes. Some 10 years ago when I was the incumbent in a two-church parish, thieves stole lead from one church, 1,000 years old and of course listed.
It was the night before our autumn fair and as I stood at the stall I was manning in the church, I looked up and could see extensive views of the sky. Luckily it was not raining.
The lead taken was from a narrow valley-gutter, out of view unless one was airborne. Its value was probably £30 but repairs to the roof, using lead, would cost nigh on £900.
My lovely church architect (sadly gone to glory) and I in less than a week replaced the lead with can’t-tell-thedifference plastic, for a fraction of the cost. No further damage to that beautiful church occurred.
To wait months while bureaucracy ground exceeding slow was not something I was going to consider. We saved the parish a lot of money and avoided endless committees.
I have to admit that in similar circumstances I’d do the same again. Diocesan advisory committees must, I am afraid, be much more flexible in their solutions to hard-pressed congregations in dire straits.
I await a knock on the door.
Rev Simon Douglas Lane Hampton, Middlesex
sir – Our village church suffered the loss of its lead roof but now, after protracted negotiation, has a new synthetic roof.
However, we are still concerned that the gangs will return because the assumption will be that the lead has been replaced.
The blame lies with the failure of police in detecting crimes and the realisation by criminals that it is highly unlikely they will be caught.
Dr Michael A Fopp
Soulbury, Buckinghamshire
sir – Where does this stolen lead end up? All scrap metal dealers are meant to be controlled, so who is buying it? Peter Butterfield
Hitchin, Hertfordshire sir – In my Northamptonshire benefice two churches have recently had lead roofing stolen, each suffering twice.
These thefts cost communities, as well as the charitable trusts we rely on, tens of thousands of pounds, time and again. The cost of insurance rises too, and then there is the time and effort expended by parishioners and diocesan personnel.
Lead is replaced for the criminals to benefit from. Why?
The lead cannot be properly protected and there are alternatives which should be used, but the stubbornness of Historic England and others prevents it.
A roof is to protect the building from the elements; that’s all it is required to do. We simply must stop wasting money and use our resources for what Christ would have us do. We are one of the richest countries in the world and yet have homeless people. Let us be serious about our priorities. Charles Field
Hinton-in-the-hedges, Northants