Man charged with allegedly stealing lead from a church

The police have released the following update to the church lead theft:

Police have charged a man with allegedly stealing lead from a church.

At about 1.15am on Monday, May 17, patrolling officers saw a suspicious Vauxhall Corsa driving through Tansley.

They followed and found it abandoned nearby. A quantity of lead was found inside the car.

It was later discovered that lead had been stolen from the roof of St Helen’s Church, Church Town, Darley Dale.

Officers arrested a 22-year-old man from Alfreton and later charged him with theft. He is due to appear before magistrates in Chesterfield next month.

Derbyshire police are offering Selecta DNA to churches at a discounted price. The invisible substance can be coated onto any metal and remains on the skin or clothing of anyone who touches the metal. The substance contains a unique code, like DNA, so it can be traced back to a crime scene.

Churches in the Derbyshire Dales interested in purchasing Selecta DNA should contact Sgt Jon Lloyd on 0345 123 3333

The police have issued the following warning, so if anybody notices any suspicious activity around the chruch please report it; contact details at bottom.

Police are urging people who live near churches to report any suspicious activity following several lead thefts from buildings in the Derbyshire Dales.
Churches in Middleton, Mappleton, Youlgrave and Osmaston have been targeted in recent months with thieves stealing lead from roofs.
The most recent incident happened some time between 8.50am on Sunday, May 9 and 11.30am on Tuesday, May 11. Lead was taken from the roof of St Martin’s Church, Osmaston.
Two youths were seen in the area when lead was taken from Cromford Mill at about 10pm on Friday, April 30.
Safer Neighbourhood police officers are paying special attention to churches while on patrol and people are being urged to call police if they see anyone acting suspiciously around churches.
Officers are visiting scrap yards to encourage owners to report anyone they suspect of trying to sell stolen metal.
Some churches are being leant security cameras while others are being offered Smartwater – a unique substance which leaves a unique invisible mark on property so owners can be traced and alerted should stolen property be recovered.
Anyone with information about these thefts should call police on 0345 123 3333 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Click for a follow up on the lead theft