Amidst growing numbers of unemployed persons and significant cuts in benefits, metal theft has become a huge problem in the UK. Recently thieves have been targeting some of Britain’s most prized ruins which is threatening our heritage.
One of the most treasured ruins in the UK was targeted last week as thieves made off with major portions of the lead roof of the Bishop’s Palace which is located in Lincoln. As the cost of metal continues to rise, gangs are robbing village halls, churches, nurseries, homes, businesses and not surprisingly, historical landmarks.
When staff noticed the robbery at the Bishop’s Palace, it was discovered that nearly 64 sq ft of the lead roof had been absconded with and this is becoming a problem of epidemic proportions. This has placed a huge financial burden on the Palace as money has had to be diverted from other programs to add security to prevent further theft.
Unfortunately, this is not the only historic site which has been targeted by thieves so added security is now on location at other historical sites. The amount of added security is based on the sites which appear to be at greatest risk. Even so, there are limited resources making it difficult to do an effective job guarding these national treasures.
To date, hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of metal has been stolen to sell as scrap metal but what makes these thefts even worse is the fact that metal is being taken from historic sites. Much of what is being stolen is virtually irreplaceable.
Metal theft such as copper from building sites is common, especially in hard economic times. However, this new rash of crimes is causing quite a stir due to the nature of what is being stolen.
