Vandals wreck old church roof

A CHESTER church suffered thousands of pounds of damage after vandals struck.

Metal thieves climbed onto the roof of 600-year-old St Peter?s Church, Plemstall, Mickle Trafford and pulled down dozens of slate tiles in an attempt to reach what they thought was expensive lead flashing.

But instead they found the roof of the Grade I-listed building was covered in galvanised zinc ? a less valuable commodity.
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Their attack on the church, which serves hundreds of parishioners in Guilden Sutton, Mickle Trafford, Hoole and beyond, left holes in the roof which were not discovered for five days.
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Torrential downpours, which caused localised flooding across the region last week, meant water poured through the building, damaging furniture, beams and the church organ worth ?100,000.

Rector Mark Hart said he could not put a figure on the damage caused by the thieves.

He added: ?We don?t know the full extent of the damage to the organ as we can?t use the electrics.

?The insurance has helped us put in temporary repairs and there is tarpaulin up on the roof and around the organ but it?s not safe to enter the building.?
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A couple who are due to get married later this month in the picturesque church, which has views across the Cheshire plains, are facing their wedding dreams being shattered.
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Rev Hart said: ?Their wedding can be held at a neighbouring church but they have obviously chosen the church for a reason.?
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The church?s dedicated congregation will also have to use the nearby Mickle Trafford village hall for the foreseeable future while repairs are made to their beloved place of worship.
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Meanwhile, both church-goers and the wider community have clubbed together to show their support for St Peter?s with goodwill gestures.
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?The insurance will only cover so much, we don?t know what will have to come out of our pockets,? Rev Hart added.

?But the amount of support we have had is amazing.?
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The incident comes in the same week as two other attacks on churches in the county in the middle of the night.
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Cheshire Police has launched a crackdown on metal thefts which have affected dozens of historical and religious buildings in Chester over the past few years.
More than three churches a week are said to be targeted each week in England alone.
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Rev Hart added: ?There was a time when people would think twice about doing this to a sacred building but that is no longer the case.

?They see it as an easy target and it is distressing for the people that use the building because it is part of their heritage and they have done so much for it throughout their lives.?
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They have invested a lot of time and money to maintaining it and it hits people extra hard when they see this happen.?
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Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident which happened between Sunday, June 3 and Friday, June 8 and anyone with information can call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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