Heavy Metal Thieves Strike Again

Thieves have stolen metal worth £30,000 from the roof of De Montfort Hall.

They struck at the Leicester concert venue in the early hours of Monday, in what police described as "a planned job".

At least five people and two vans were used in the raid, thought to be the biggest single theft of lead in Leicestershire in recent years.

The full cost of fixing the roof, on an annex to the main hall, is not known, but Leicester City Council, the owner, said it planned to submit a claim to insurers.

A council spokesman said: "Lead from part of the roof at De Montfort Hall was stolen earlier this week.

"The building is closed for maintenance and cleaning. No performances have been affected.

"We shall be reviewing security at the site and talking to our insurers."

De Montfort Hall managers said the theft would not affect events next week, which include Wednesday's presentation night for the Leicester Mercury Sports Awards and the Leicester Comedy Festival preview show on Friday.

A chamber music concert on Sunday and a literature event on Monday will also go ahead.

Councillor Andy Connelly, the city council cabinet spokesman for leisure, said: "It's unfortunate and a massive inconvenience.

"We hope the individuals are apprehended by police, but I don't think we'll be seeing our lead back.

"Nothing is sacrilegious to these thieves - churches have been targeted so we shouldn't be too shocked by this.

"It's a real shame because many residents look at De Montfort Hall with affection and it's one of our most well-used venues."

Police have examined CCTV footage and said at least five people were involved in the theft, using two vehicles. One was a white Ford Escort van reported stolen in Glen Parva two days earlier. The second vehicle is a flat-back Mitsubishi van.

The contents of both vehicles - plastering equipment from the Ford and worn tyres from the second van - were dumped at the scene to allow thieves to load the stolen lead.

Pc Harvey Watson said: "The vehicles have clearly been kept somewhere in the 48 hours before the theft and may also still be somewhere locally.

"The incident itself took place between 2.20am and 3.15am on Monday, so I'm also keen for sightings of the vehicles en route to De Montfort Hall or leaving the area.

"The lead is very heavy and it's clear from the CCTV that at least five people were involved in stripping and loading the lead. We are keen to track down the people responsible."

Churches, playgrounds and graveyards across Leicestershire and Rutland were hit by thefts of lead and other metals last year.

At least 37 churches in the two counties were affected, with roofing, lightning conductors, water pipes and guttering being the most common items taken.

The problem cost Ecclesiastical Insurance, which provides cover to most churches in the area, more than £135,000