Coseley headteacher's devastation after school hit by metal thieves
The headteacher of a primary school hit by metal thieves five times in less than two months today spoke of her devastation in the wake of the latest theft which caused severe flooding.
End-of-year celebrations at Hurst Hill Primary School in Coseley were ruined by metal thieves. The school has been targeted five times between November and mid-December, causing thousands of pounds of damage.
However, it was the most recent theft had the biggest impact. Thieves ripped 30m of copper pipe from the roof just before the Christmas break, damaging the water pipes and causing water to fall through the ceiling.
Headteacher Caroline Dingle said: "It caused a catastrophic flood and ruined two thirds of the school. It was just devastating."
Three classrooms were flooded, ruining children's work and the Christmas presents they planned to give each other before the holidays.
The electrics were destroyed and left in a dangerous state, forcing the school to close on its last day before Christmas and postpone an awards assembly for pupils.
Mrs Dingle said: "I had children and staff in tears. Everyone was very upset.."
She estimated the damage caused in the past few months was tens of thousands of pounds.
Metal thieves have targetted Coseley 16 times in the past two months and Sgt James Jones said police were patrolling the area. "Anyone stealing flashing from windows or a roof would be fairly exposed to people driving or walking by, and it is likely to be noisy for people inside. If you happen to hear a scratching or knoc-king noise then check it out."
On Wednesday a 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft after £15,000 worth of air conditioning units and copper piping were stolen from a house in Whitehouse Street the previous night. He has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.
