Flagstone thieves target churches

Thieves are stripping church and chapel paths bare

Flagstones have become the latest currency for thieves after several recent thefts from churches and chapels in the south Wales valleys.

In one incident at the Salem Baptist Church in Bedlinog near Merthyr Tydfil, 16 flagstones dating back to 1876 were stolen.

Several of the thefts are thought to have taken place in daylight by gangs posing as workmen.

It is thought that the stones are cleaned and sold as kitchen flooring.

We are really worried that the thieves are going to come back Linda O'Neill

Caretaker of the church Linda O'Neil said that she was "shocked" to discover that the stones had been taken.

"I just came to check up on the place and saw that the lock on the gates had been broken and the stones on the path leading up to the big doors were gone," she said.

"It was a real shock and a lot of people who come here and who are elderly were really upset.

"Those stones dated back to when the church was rebuilt in 1876 so were really old.

"We've had them replaced now but we are really worried that the thieves are going to come back," she added.

South Wales Police are investigating the incident.

Stripped

Other churches and chapels in the area have had stones stolen from their yards.

More than 70 flagstones were stolen from St Catwgs Church in Gelligaer, near Caerphilly in April. The "irreplaceable" 3ft square stones - many dating back to Roman times - formed the path leading to the church.

John Winton, the national director for Churches Tourism Network Wales, said that flagstone theft was a "depressing problem".

"It is a nuisance because it is very difficult to protect, with valuable things inside churches you can do much more to protect them but you can't do much with flagstones," he said.

"It is a depressing problem but hopefully a minor one.

"We have around 6,500 churches and chapels in Wales and the majority of them are safe and secure," he added

The theft follows similar incidents in Penarth and Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, in 2004, where pavements were stripped of their rare Victorian slabs.

Around 80 of the slabs, which can no longer be sourced, were stolen by gangs posing as council workmen.