THOUSANDS of pounds worth of lead has been stolen from a church roof after parishioners mounted a massive fundraising effort to pay for its replacement.

Police have appealed for information to catch the thieves who stole £25,000 of lead flashing from St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Yorkshire Street, Burnley.

Parishioners had worked together to raise £90,000 of the £164,000 needed to repair the roof of the church, with the remainder being provided by the Diocese of Salford.

Father David Lannon, who is the priest at the 159-year-old church, said that it would cost up to £40,000 to repair the roof, which had only been replaced last November after 12 months of building work.

Ward councillor Gary Frayling said that the offence was ‘shocking’ but metal thefts were on the rise in the area.

Police are also investigating a spate of vandalism at the church, which has seen windows being broken over the past two weekends.

Approximately £5,000 of damage was caused last Sunday when an object was thrown at a stained glass window at the side of the listed building last Sunday.

Father Lannon said it was thought the lead flashing was removed in two stages between Sunday June 22 and Tuesday June 24.

He said: “This is the first time in 12-years we have had anything like this.

“It was discovered by one of the parishioners when the roof of the Sacristy started leaking.

“What we think has been happening is that they have been up there cutting through the lead and throwing it down to into the undergrowth.

“They have then collected it later.

“It is very difficult to trace lead so the thieves would be hard to trace.”

It is believed Stanley knives were used to cut the lead along the side of the building.

The roof has been temporarily repaired and the church is in the process of getting quotes for the insurance company.

Father Lannon added: “The whole community is hurt by the damage and the parishioners will be particularly upset because it is a church that they love and a sacred place where they worship.

“If we have a major downfall of rain and the lead isn’t there it might come through the roof.

“It is sad because it seems that any building which has lead is likely to be vandalised. This shouldn’t happen.”

Coun Frayling said metal thefts was a problem all over his Bank Hall ward, where the church is located.

He said: “This is a problem in Burnley, especially in the Duke Bar area.

“I have never heard of anything like this before and I feel for the people who worship there.

“It is horrible to hear about it especially after the residents raised so much money to repair the roof.

“It is to do with the price of lead going through the roof and people are even ripping up floor boards to strip copper off the wiring.”

Sgt Craig Leach, from Burnley police, said places with metal were being targeted by thieves because of soaring prices.

He said: “Over the last few months incident of lead and copper theft have increased with the higher price of metals.

“If anyone sees people removing lead or coming out of a building with copper acting suspiciously they should contact the police.

“And if anyone saw anything suspicious people or vehicles parked at the back of the building at the time but did not think much of it they should contact us.”

Anyone with information can contact Burnley police on 01282 425001 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.