Church thieves strike eight times

Leaders of a Leicestershire church say they may have to install CCTV cameras after a spate of metal thefts.

Thieves have struck eight times in 2008 at Loughborough's All Saints parish church to take lead from the roof.

Priest-in-charge, Rachel Ross, said thieves even used scaffolding, which had been put up to repair the roof, to help them steal the replacement metal.

The church is consulting the borough council and police about installing CCTV cameras.

'Significant fundraising'

The roof is now letting in water and the church organ is being protected by plastic sheeting.

Ms Ross said it was not worth replacing the lead as she believed it would be stolen again.

"We've been looking at all the different sorts of material we can eventually replace the lead with because so many of them that might have been an option might be stolen."

She said the church would now have to raise money for the repairs.

"We're going to have to look at significant fundraising and work out how we're going to protect this building."