Wednesbury church still suffering leaks years after attack

A church in the Black Country is still suffering the effects of metal theft – more than four years after it was raided.

St Bartholomew's Church in Wednesbury suffered £75,000 worth of damage when crooks stole lead from the roof in 2008.

And although worshippers rallied to raise cash to fix most of the damage, it has been leaking ever since.

With money being tight, the church cannot afford any more repairs. And now there are concerns that if something is not done soon, it could get worse.

Rev Tim Vasby-Burnie said: "Whenever we're in a service and we hear rain we think 'here we go again' and we have to get a couple of buckets out. It's missing the pews by a matter of inches but because of the expense we can't really justify repairs. We're worried it could get worse. If that did happen we would have to try and fund it."

It is believed the leak is being caused by some cracked window panels on the roof that are allowing water to seep through.

But with the roof being about 40ft-high, scaffolding costing thousands of pounds would be needed to make the repairs.

This is not in the budget of the Church Hill building, which costs £60,000 a year to run.

"People see metal theft as a victimless crime and forget about the impact it's having on people like us," said Rev Vasby-Burnie. "It's only when the rain is bad but it's still an annoyance."

But he said he was not bitter. "My feelings looking back are based more on how the community rallied to fundraise," he said.

An inspection is due to take place later this year which could force the church to have to find the cash if the damage is deemed serious.

Wednesbury Councillor Elaine Costigan said it was shocking the church was still having to deal with the impact of the theft so long afterwards. She said:?"It's a wonderful church and it is a shame."