Metal thefts

More and more in the news we hear about metal thieves.  In one local street, everyone's gates were removed by thieves in the middle of the night, In other stories it is plaques from graves and memorials honouring the sacrifice paid by our soldiers of yesteryear.
Our church was recently targeted by lead thieves. They not only took the lead, but also caused damage and that damage and replacing the lead are an incredibly expensive problem.  The insurance company will not cover the costs of replacing it all and the church is left with an almighty shortfall.  The decision has been made to replace with a composite product that has no scrap value, but costs a small fortune to put on.  Whilst the work to replace the lead left behind and repair the damage goes on, further damage is occuring.  The church was modernised and flooring and seating replaced 3 years ago,, the walls were repaired and repointing was done.  But yesterday it rained heavily, the water ran straight into the building dripping into the plaster and causing it to blow, the organ was soaked and has had to be covered with tarpaulins.  The theft of the metal has left a huge scar on the church and ours is not a one off story.