A CHURCH roof was left ‘leaking like a sieve’ after becoming the latest target of lead thieves.

Heavy rain exposed the theft of three strips of lead from the roof of St Mary’s Church in Frampton, the latest in a long line of thefts from churches in the county.

Gary Simpson, treasurer of the Parochial Church Council, said the missing lead was discovered on Tuesday when rain started pouring through the roof.

He said: “They have taken lead from one of the ridges and two of the valleys on the roof.

“So what it means is it leaks like a sieve now.”

Mr Simpson said the three strips were between 12 and 18 inches wide and around 60 foot long.

He said it was not yet known how much it would cost to replace the lead and repair the damage, but fortunately there did not seem to be too much major damage caused by the leaks.

Mr Simpson said: “We have got some temporary protection in now and got a builder to do some temporary repairs.

“On Tuesday afternoon when it rained it was actually pouring into the church, which wasn’t good but fortunately it’s not damaged a lot of soft furnishings it’s more the hard stuff.”

Mr Simpson said the theft was doubly frustrating as the church had been targeted before.

He said: “It’s the second time this has happened, about 12 months ago we had lead taken off the vestry roof and we also had oil pinched around 18 months ago so it’s quite vulnerable but what can you do?”

Last month almost half the lead was stolen from the roof of St Michael’s Church in Stinsford, while churches at Broadwindsor, Symondsbury and Powerstock have also been raided this year.

Lead thieves have also targeted schools and private properties in the Dorchester area in recent weeks.

Inspector Les Fry warned people to be vigilant in light of the increasing number of thefts of lead from churches.

He said: “We want to preserve our iconic churches in rural communities.

“Any information will be welcomed that could lead to the arrest or discovery of those involved.

“We would encourage people who see any suspicious activity around churches to call either the church management or the police.

“Any genuine workmen wouldn’t mind being checked and confirming who they are.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorchester Police Station on 101.