Churches ought to strip their roofs of lead and replace it with a 'rubber-system'. This will prevent lead-theft and consequential damage to the interior of these historical buildings, remove an 'income-stream' from itinerant criminals and provide a cash-injection to defray ant costs.
retrocop - The mind boggles how they could of got away with this unchallenged or unseen. //
I have to say, mine doesn't.
If you drove past any building and happened to glace up and saw some workmen working on it, would you assume that they were up to no good?
I think the concept of 'hiding in plain sight' is in action here - if you appear to be doing something legal and above board, people will assume that you are.
It reminds me of a man in the news years ago, who walked into an M & S store and wheeled out several rails of expensive clothing and loaded them into a van and drove off. No one questioned him because everyone assumed he was genuine - no-one would have the brass neck to simply walk into a store in broad daylight and make off with a load of stock - would they?
jack - // Churches ought to strip their roofs of lead and replace it with a 'rubber-system'. //
Common sense obviously, and there is no doubt the the church as an organisation, of any denomination, has the funds to do this, but they would make the local priest / vicar create a fund and make the local parish pay for it, rather than dig into their obscenely large bank balances which they maintain for … well, no-one is really sure what.
The Government botched legislation designed to prevent such thefts.
‘The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013’ was supposed to make it more difficult for thieves to sell their haul, but it hasn’t worked. Large scale thefts of entire roofs have rocketed since the legislation came in.
To make matters worse, the Government are using dubious statistics that say the legislation is a success. Meanwhile more and more churches and historic buildings are being targetted. Gamgs operate with impunity because they know the legislation is weak and they will get away with their crimes.
//If you drove past any building and happened to glace up and saw some workmen working on it, would you assume that they were up to no good? //
I assume that this church had a minister in attendance and not only Sundays. Unless you believe the modern church service has a penny in the slot automated sermon.
The roofer who renewed my entire roof worked in his father's business years ago.He learnt the fading skill of using and manipulating lead in various roofing techniques.
He re roofed a school in Croydon about six years ago. A very expensive enterprise and he suggested zinc would be cheaperalternative to lead flashing etc. The local surveyor insisted lead be used and so it was. He paid the piper and asked the roofer to re roof again about three weeks later after the lead had been stripped.
The roofer I mention has much work all over the country and repairs many N.T. buildings with lead (a) Because he is one of few who have the skills.
(b)Most of the buildings he works on are Listed buildings,as is the church mentioned in the link, and no other substitute for Lead is allowed.
retrocop - I suggest that the design of a lot of old buildings does mean that people can clamber about on them, unseen from the ground.
As for church authorities and the National Trust stubbornly insisting on the use of lead, when a substitute would be unseen from the ground, then they must reap what they sow - persistent theft of the lead.
Near me there was a similar theft. The criminals had a van with
'Historic Building Restoration' written along the sides. While they were loading the van,a police car came past and the officers stopped and told them ''If you have any problems just phone us''
retrocop - // I don't believe the church or the N.T. dictate the rules on what can or cannot be done with listed buidings do you? //
I am unsure to be honest, but whomever insists on lead being used is responsible for lead being stolen, and should adjust their attitude in the interests of common sense and needless wastes of money.
In one job, I regularly had to take and sell unwanted scrap metal to the dealer for my employer. Not once did they question where or how I got the metal. Just handed over cash. Sometimes it was 100 Kg or at a time. The scrap yard always asked ''how much of this do you want put on the invoice?''
This informs who is responsible for Grading listed buildings and the consequences of ignoring the type of alterations that are sanctioned or deemed necessary.
/// Churches ought to strip their roofs of lead and replace it with a 'rubber-system'. ///
This is an interesting comment. I visited Chichester only yesterday and discovered that the cathedral is in the middle of a nine-million-pound project, replacing the copper roof with lead. Apparently the copper was installed during the war as lead was scarce, but has proved to be less durable and has deteriorated (i.e. leaking) to the state of needing replacement.
According to the blurb on the board outside, lead is being used as it's more durable, and it's heavier and therefore less likely to blow off (true, I kid you not); so what chance rubber?
I wasn't meaning 'rubber' per se....more of a elastomer/polymer multi-layered roofing system. It may not have the durability of a lead-roof but neither is it prized for its' scrap-value.
Canary42
To some it would not appear tasteless to have all our historic buildings re roofed with corrugated iron sheets and whilst at it conserve energy by replacing draughty old stain glass windows with Ted Moult's double glazing. :-)
I won't bore you with tales of my working life (I'll leave that to others) suffice to say, I believe I can say (with reasonable certainty)that I have dealt with more listed buildings than you have....