Church raiders thwarted by police

Nov 29 2007 by Chloe Griffiths, The Journal

AN HISTORIC church in a Northumberland town was targeted by thieves who attempted to steal the lead flashing yesterday.

Police were called to St Mary the Virgin Church in Ponteland at 2.10am following reports of suspicious noises.

When they arrived, they disturbed raiders who fled empty-handed after attempting to prise the lead flashing from the roof of the building, which dates back to the 13th Century.

Officers managed to recover the lead, but worshippers have been left upset by the incident.

The church’s vicar, Canon Michael Jackson, retired about three weeks ago, but church warden Clive Ringrose said: “It is very upsetting.

“We’ve certainly had nothing like this before in my experience, not since the 1960s or 1970s anyway. I guess we’re not the only church to be affected, but it’s still rather unpleasant.”

Following the raids, builders had to be called in at 8am yesterday to secure the roof and cover it in sheeting to ensure there are no leaks.

The extent of the damage is still not known and Mr Ringrose said they would have to wait for an inspection.

He added: “The police disturbed these people who were in the process of trying to get the lead from the church.

“Thankfully they didn’t managed to take it away and it was all recovered.

“We don’t have any estimates of how much it will cost. I guess that will be an issue for the insurance company and we will just try and get it fixed as quickly as possible.

“Some local builders came down at 8am to make it safe and waterproof it, so hopefully there should be no internal damage.”

There has been a church on the site of St Mary’s since long before William the Conqueror invaded England and, while that Anglo-Saxon building was destroyed, some parts of the church date back to the Norman period.

Most of the building was erected in the 13th Century and there are also rare fragments of 14th Century glass on the chancel windows.

Police are asking anyone with information or who saw the raid to call (08456) 043 043.