THE Church is fighting back against the growing scourge of thieves going for easy pickings by stripping the roof lead from places of worship.

The Ripon diocese is spearheading a campaign which is seeing special roof alarms fitted to churches that are regarded as “at risk.”

Last year was the worst on record for insurance claims for metal thefts from churches across the country, with 50 claims worth £60,000 for the Ripon diocese alone.

Neighbouring York diocese had 60 claims that cost more than £150,000, while Durham diocese had almost 70 claims which cost almost £100,000.

Now leading church and heritage insurer Ecclesiastical is investing £500,000 of its own money to install roof alarms free of charge on some of the countrys most at-risk churches.

Ripon is one of three dioceses at the forefront of the national roll-out and the campaign will contunue throughout the year until most of the 42 mainland English dioceses and a number of Scottish and Welsh dioceses are alarmed.

Because the alarm sensors are virtually undetectable from the ground, criminals will be unable to tell which churches are alarmed and which are not. However precise details of the alarms and their locations are not being revealed although churches will display signs warning criminals of the presence of roof alarms.

Ecclesiastical’s director of church insurance, John Coates, said the initiative would make places of worship hatderv targets for criminals out to “strip the nation’s heritrage.”

He added: “Our aim is to encourage all vulnerable churches across Britain to have roof alarms fitted.”

The campaign is backed by the Church of England Church Buildings Council, the Association of Chief Police Officers and Minister of State for the Home Office Lord Henley.

Ecclesiastical has already piloted the use of roof alarms in more than 150 churches over the last few years and, where fitted, metal thefts have reduced significantly or stopped completely.

Last year Ecclesiastical, which insures 97 per cent of the country’s Anglican churches, received more than 2,600 metal theft claims from churches natiuonally.

In addition to roof alarms, Ecclesiastical is also providing churches with free SmartWater forensic marker liquid, which is applied to the metal so that it can be traced.