PEOPLE across Wiltshire have been urged to keep a sharp eye out after a spate of lead thefts from church roofs across the county.

Police say they would like to urge members of the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately.

Churches of all sizes across the county have been targeted, including Malmesbury Abbey and Salisbury Cathedral.

Around £40,000 worth of lead was stolen from The Rectory at Zeals, near Mere, sometime between August 14 and 16.

At Christ Church in Warminster, over half the lead was removed from the church roof, while about six tonnes of lead was stolen from St James the Great Church in Bratton.

St James' church warden Mike Manson said: "The theft happened between Sunday evening and Monday morning.

"The thieves cut through the lock on a bollard at the bottom of Church Road to gain access and have stripped between four to five tonnes of lead from the roof.

"The theft has affected the nave, the south aisle, the south transept and the porch, and we had to use tarpaulins to protect the church from wain damage.

"You won't be able to print what we think about the theft. The cost of replacing the lead is going to run into many tens of thousands of pounds.

"Some residents are very angry that the thieves have desecrated a very old and much-admired building."

At Malmesbury Abbey, two sections of lead piping were stolen between August 15 and 16, while at Salisbury Cathedral, four 10 ft lead down pipes were stolen from walls.

At Christ Church in Corsham Road, Shaw, tiles have been pulled off causing further damage to the roof.

Det Sgt Sam Hopkinson said: “She said: “These photos show the true scale of some of the damage caused to our churches – in most of the cases it will be costly to repair.

“In recent weeks, we have had a number of incidents where a large amount of lead has been stolen from churches which will be both extremely costly and inconvenient to repair."

“I’d like to ask members of the public to help us with our enquiries by reporting any suspicious activity they may see around our churches.

“This could include anyone seen on church roofs, vehicles parked nearby which aren’t familiar, or any torch lights spotted around churches late at night or in the early hours of the morning.

“We need to know about this activity as it is happening, so please help by being our eyes and ears and letting us know this information when you see it.

“Those involved in committing these crimes are causing thousands of pounds worth of damage and we are determined to identify those involved.”

Anyone with information should 101 or 999 immediately if they see that a crime is in progress.