Post by admin on May 10, 2007 2:28:49 GMT 1
Lead thieves leave tots hot under collar
NURSERY children were forced to stay indoors in last week’s glorious weather after thieves stole lead from the roof of their school.
Staff at Bacup Nursery School, in Cowtoot Lane, made the shock discovery last Monday as they arrived for work.
It took county council workmen four days to repair the damage, during which time the school had to keep the three and four-year-old children inside because of fears of falling debris and dust from the grinders being used.
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The lead has been replaced with an alternative weather-proof material that has no scrap value.
It follows a spate of lead thefts from roofs in the area, including the Maden Centre and Royal Court Theatre in Bacup.
Headteacher Lyn Rider said: ‘The thieves had been earlier and took some flashing but when they came back this time they took practically all of the lead off the roof.
‘We had to keep the children in for health and safety reasons and we also had to restructure what we had planned.
‘The veranda is used as an outdoor classroom for planned activities and focus teaching, which we had to reorganise.’
Around £10,000 of lead was stolen from units at Toll Bar, Stacksteads, at 2am on Sunday.
Brian Boys, whose firm B and E Boys owns the buildings, said: ‘They were seen taking it away in wheelbarrows; this is going to cost us a lot of time and money to put right.’
Bacup Sergeant Gordon McGeechan condemned the thieves saying: ‘It is disgraceful to cause this damage to a school just for a small amount of pocket money.’
He said police were hunting three gangs operating in the east of the Valley: a young group aged 14-20 in Stacksteads, older teenagers in Bacup and in Waterfoot a group of adult thieves.
He added: ‘It is a problem throughout this area and we have alerted the local scrap dealers to beware people trying to sell this metal and we have begun informing the dealers in Rochdale.’
If you see anyone stealing lead from a roof, contact the police, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or the local community beat managers.
Catherine Smyth
First published by the Rossendale Free Press
NURSERY children were forced to stay indoors in last week’s glorious weather after thieves stole lead from the roof of their school.
Staff at Bacup Nursery School, in Cowtoot Lane, made the shock discovery last Monday as they arrived for work.
It took county council workmen four days to repair the damage, during which time the school had to keep the three and four-year-old children inside because of fears of falling debris and dust from the grinders being used.
Advertisement
The lead has been replaced with an alternative weather-proof material that has no scrap value.
It follows a spate of lead thefts from roofs in the area, including the Maden Centre and Royal Court Theatre in Bacup.
Headteacher Lyn Rider said: ‘The thieves had been earlier and took some flashing but when they came back this time they took practically all of the lead off the roof.
‘We had to keep the children in for health and safety reasons and we also had to restructure what we had planned.
‘The veranda is used as an outdoor classroom for planned activities and focus teaching, which we had to reorganise.’
Around £10,000 of lead was stolen from units at Toll Bar, Stacksteads, at 2am on Sunday.
Brian Boys, whose firm B and E Boys owns the buildings, said: ‘They were seen taking it away in wheelbarrows; this is going to cost us a lot of time and money to put right.’
Bacup Sergeant Gordon McGeechan condemned the thieves saying: ‘It is disgraceful to cause this damage to a school just for a small amount of pocket money.’
He said police were hunting three gangs operating in the east of the Valley: a young group aged 14-20 in Stacksteads, older teenagers in Bacup and in Waterfoot a group of adult thieves.
He added: ‘It is a problem throughout this area and we have alerted the local scrap dealers to beware people trying to sell this metal and we have begun informing the dealers in Rochdale.’
If you see anyone stealing lead from a roof, contact the police, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or the local community beat managers.
Catherine Smyth
First published by the Rossendale Free Press