Thieves strip bandstand

Apr 26 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

WORK on a £450,000 project to restore a Northumberland seaside bandstand to its former glory has been dealt a major blow by lead thieves.

Raiders struck during the hours of darkness to strip £3,000 worth of intricate lead guttering from the bandstand on Blyth Links.

The metal – which re-created the original 1920s guttering on the domed structure – had just been installed as part of the refurbishment scheme by Blyth Valley Borough Council.

Now the work will have to be carried out all over again, at a cost of thousands of pounds, setting the whole project back by up to three weeks.

It is the latest in a spate of lead thefts across the region which has seen raiders mainly target church roofs in search of metal which they can sell on.

Thieves struck at the Blyth bandstand on Wednesday night and are thought to have taken up to three hours to strip off and remove the lead guttering. It was discovered by contractors carrying out the restoration work on Thursday.

Yesterday, Blyth Valley Council’s head of streetcare, Terry Gurr, said: “This intricate lead guttering, which had taken contractors two weeks to put in, was totally stripped off.

“The council’s safer neighbourhoods team will put up a temporary CCTV camera until we can get a permanent camera in place while the work continues. We would like members of the public to contact us if they see anything suspicious in the area.”

A council spokeswoman said the theft would delay completion of the scheme, although it was expected the restored bandstand would be ready for opening in June, in time for the main summer season.

Contractors are working on a £450,000 scheme to refurbish and regenerate the ‘rotunda’ bandstand and its surrounding area, which were built in the 1920s following the construction of the adjacent promenade and sea wall.

The bandstand is regarded as a major heritage asset for Blyth but has fallen into disrepair over a period of time. It is being refurbished, will be illuminated at night and given a grassed seating area for spectators as part of a £3.5m regeneration scheme along Blyth Links.

Already more than £3m has been spent on a new open-air amphitheatre and play area, a plaza, an amenity building and extra car parking.