Preventing the theft of lead and copper from church buildings...

Preventing the theft of lead and copper from church buildings... If your church has had its lead roof stolen you will be well aware of the financial cost of replacement, as well as the supplementary damage that can be caused such as severe water penetration of the building, which itsellf can lead to costly and significant repair works. Unfortunately, theft of metal from church buildings is not a new problem. Over recent years, there has been a significant growth in the incidence of such thefts, due to the rising value of these materials on the world market. The material most frequently stolen is lead, although other metals, such as copper, are also often at risk. Church roofs, guttering and lightning conductors are all parts of the building most commonly affected. With the significant rise in claims on insurance companies, the insurance industry is naturally worried, and unless something can be done to reverse the trend, insurance premiums may have to rise. In a paper produced in September 2007, the London Diocesan Advisory Committeeoffers some practical advice on tackling the issue, such as; locking away ladders, wheelbarrows, etc, (when not in use), that may aid thieves. trimming back foliage that may obscure the activity of thieves restricting vehicle access to premises when not occupied, to make it more difficult for thieves to remove stolen items painting roof sections, guttering, downpipes, etc. with anti climb paint installing intruder alarms (with roof mounted sensor beams) installing a CCTV monitoring system All of these are practical and sensible measures, some of which will cost little or nothing to implement, whilst others such as installing Intruder Alarms or CCTV systems will obviously have a financial cost. One low cost measure that offers practical protection to vulnerable metalwork, is the use of anti climb paint. Here is an extract from the advisory paper produced by the London Diocesan Advisory Committee; “Consider applying anti-climb paint to drainpipes and roof guttering. Anti-climb paint should only be used over a height of 2 metres and a warning notice should be put up indicating that anti-climb paint has been applied…” The use of anti climb paint (also known as anti intruder paint or security paint), is also endorsed by the police and insurers and is a well established protective measure which is used extensively by schools and local authorities as well as commercial organisations and even domestic users. What is it? Anti climb paint is a non drying, non toxic, petroleum jell based paint which contaminates the hands and clothing of anyone coming into contact with it. As it remains slippery, it prevents intruders getting a handhold, and as the hands become contaminated on contact, makes it very difficult to pick up anything subsequently. Lowest UK Prices! Cost savings achieved through volume production have allowed Insight Security to significantly reduce the price of their anti climb paints which are now probably the cheapest available in the UK and which are available off the shelf. For full details of the range of anti climb paint and warning signs visit: http://www.insight-security.com/per-paint.htm To take advantage of our lowest ever prices, buy on-line at; http://www.insight-direct.co.uk/shop/listsubgroup.asp?Group=9&SubGroup=1 but hurry …these special reduced prices are currently available for a trial period - make sure you don’t miss out! This message was added on Sunday 2nd December 2007

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