Thieves strip lead from roof of Somerset church
Thieves have stolen a large amount of lead from the roof of a church in Somerset.
The lead was stripped from St James Church in Winscombe and thrown to the ground before being dragged down a lane and loaded into a vehicle, police said.
Church warden Beth Cutmore said their insurance would not cover the £20,000 cost of repairs.
"We are devastated that so much damage has been caused to such a fine building," she said.
Sgt Dave Hayward, from Weston-super-Mare's community safety department, appealed for witnesses.
He said: "Whoever was involved has got away with a huge amount of lead and caused considerable damage to the church.
"They must have made a lot of noise and had a vehicle ready to take it all away."