Lincolnshire Police investigating theft of lead from church roofs arrest four men on suspicion of conspiracy to steal
Lincolnshire Police's team of investigators are making enquiries into the theft of lead from churches across Lincolnshire and during 2019 and January this year.
Four men, aged 24, 28, 30 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal and released on bail while investigations continue.
Lincolnshire Police chief inspector Phil Vickers said: "It is believed that in total there were more than 40 offences committed in Lincolnshire where lead was stolen from rural churches during 2019, and though at this stage 16 of those are believed to be linked, it is anticipated that number may increase as the investigation progresses."
Mr Vickers said that last year, Lincolnshire Police worked with 53 premises within the Lincoln Diocese and individual churches across the county, providing site-specific advice and broader guidance to prevent offending, in addition to the several hundred site visits that had been carried out previously.
"The impact of these offences goes well beyond the significant financial cost. Communities have felt a great sense of loss at the damage caused to their heritage, and increased vulnerability due to the rural nature of many of the premises," Mr Vickers said.
"We know that in addition to the loss of lead, extensive damage has been caused to the fabric of the buildings by water ingress during bad weather.
"We continue to work with rural communities to prevent offending, and encourage anyone seeing or hearing anything suspicious at Heritage Sites, particularly at night but also during the day, to contact police immediately."
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