Metal thieves bring steeple crashing down

Tag : Metal Sheets

GREEDY thieves who would have sold lead they stripped from a churchroof for just a few pounds have caused damage running into tens ofthousands of pounds after bringing its steeple crashing down.
A huge crane was expected at St John the Evangelist Church inBirkby today to start making the damaged steeple safe.
The thieves were stripping lead from the church’s roof in theearly hours of yesterday morning – the latest in a spate ofsuch thefts from the landmark 155-year-old church.
But disaster struck when they tried to strip the copper lightningconductor from the Grade II-listed building in St John’sRoad.
The conductors stretches all the way up the huge steeple and, asthey tried to pull it off, it loosened the top of the steeple andtons of masonry came crashing down.
The 150ft steeple is reputed to be the tallest in the Wakefielddiocese.
It’s easy to see where each piece landed, punching four holeson an upper roof, with the main bulk crashing through a lower roofleaving a massive gaping hole.
To see more pitcures of the damage click here .
People living opposite the church were woken up by the loud crashat 3.30am and spotted the thieves making a quick getaway.
They were in a small silver car and had to stop on thechurch’s drive to shift huge stones that had fallen aroundbefore speeding off.
Police immediately sealed the church off fearing more parts of thesteeple could come down, potentially killing someone.
Firefighters from Huddersfield fire station brought in their aerialladder platform – but the steeple is so high the platform waswell short of the top.
Huddersfield Station Manager Graham Earnshaw – who went up toinspect the damage – said: “It means we’ve beenable to have a closer look and also go over the main hole in theroof and look down inside.
“The masonry landed on a side aisle with such forceit’s gone straight through the floor below, damaging severalpews and two pianos.”
Sue Clarke, Vicar of Christ Church in Woodhouse andpriest-in-charge at St John’s, said it was a terrible day forthe church congregation.
In recent times the regular worshippers there have been throughsome tough traumas.
Eight members of the Chisti family died when a gang of killersfirebombed a house on Osborne Road next to the church in May, 2002.
In August, 2000, three women walking home on Willow Lane werekilled by drink driver Allan Jackson who was later jailed for eightyears.
His car ended up hitting the church wall after ploughing into thethree victims.
Murdered taxi driver Mohammad Parvaiz who was killed by a gang inGolcar in July, 2006, lived in Birkby with his wife and threechildren.
Plaques are on the church wall to remember the Chisti family andthe three women and Mrs Parvaiz attends fundraising events at thechurch.
Mrs Clarke said: “The congregation has worked really hard tokeep this church going under difficult circumstances and will be sodevastated. The two wardens are here every day maintaining such ahuge building.
“They are so loyal and have coped with so much disaster. Thisis a real human tragedy, but sometimes things like this bringcommunities together. I’ve been told the church will be shutfor months rather than weeks.’’
She added: “Everything inside the church is covered in dustand debris – including two pianos. Some of the masonry hascrashed right through the floor into the cellarbelow.’’
She said the church has a core of around 45 worshippers – butthings have recently been looking up with more young familiesattending.
Church treasurer John Thornton said: “Looking at the churchroof it seems as though the thieves had stripped lead off beforetrying to take the lightning conductor. There are two marks on thetop parapet where the steeple first hit before crashing down ontothe roof.
“The conductor went right to the top of the steeple, but thelower part of it had been stolen previously and replaced.”
It’s thought the thieves had been on the ground next to thechurch and had possibly tied the lightning conductor to railings toget more leverage when the whole lot came down.
The church had a gold-plated cockerel weather vane on top of thesteeple that has been recovered from amid the debris and MrThornton is now looking after it.
He said: “A man and his four-year-old daughter came to lookat the damage and the little girl was upset the cockerel had gone.I was able to assure her it was in safe hands.’’
Steeplejacks were going to start to make the steeple safe today asseveral stones remained loose and precarious right at the top. Thesteeple will then be capped.
The aim was also to put protective sheets over the holes in theroof.
Tim O’Sullivan from Huddersfield CID intelligence unit said:“This just shows what depths thieves will stoop to steallead. It has caused massive damage to the church and serious upsetto the parishioners who will have to cope with their church beingclosed for a long time to come.
“If anyone has any information at all about who has done thisthey should contact us immediately.’’
Phone police in Huddersfield on 0845 6060606 or Crimestoppers freeand anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The congregation from St John’s are invited to a jointservice at Christ Church in Woodhouse this Sunday at 10.30am.