Minster lead theft an 'enormous deal' - warden

Thieves who have stolen lead off the roof of the historic Grimsby Minster have dealt the church a financial blow, staff have said.

The lead flashing, which is believed to have been taken off a porch roof on Sunday night, will cost about £1,000 to repair.

Church warden Bob Lockwood said: "It is an enormous deal. We are a church running at a £1,000-a-week loss and for this to be added to it just makes the headache even worse."

Humberside Police which is investigating the theft urged anyone with information or CCTV footage to come forward.

Staff at the minster were alerted to the theft of the lead flashing on Monday, but it is believed to have been stolen the previous night and comes after a recent break-in at the minster.

Mr Lockwood said: "It is an enormous deal. We are a church running at a £1,000-a-week loss and for this to be added to it just makes the headache even worse.

"It is a very big problem for us and it's something we can't afford to sustain."

Mr Lockwood said a lot of the lead had been removed and there were also pieces left lying on the ground.

"Helpers have done a good job of making good the roof until it can be properly repaired," he added.

"We just hope that... if we can find out who did it it'll give us some satisfaction that other places won't be broken into as well."

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