Thieves have stripped a third of a tonne of lead away from the roof of a north Shropshire nursery, causing thousands of pounds of damage.

Children at the Mount Lane Day Care Nursery in Market Drayton had to evacuate parts of the premises on Wednesday when rain leaked through the damaged roof and into a play area.

The theft was discovered when a member of staff went on to the roof to see what was causing the leak.

Police are investigating whether it is linked to a similar incident at Market Drayton Junior School, where the theft of several thousands of pounds’ worth of lead was discovered on Wednesday.

The theft at the nursery is thought to have happened sometime since Good Friday.

Debbie Loynton, from the day care centre, said the cost of repairing the damage to the roof would be about £5,000, and the affected areas would also need to be redecorated.

She said there were about 65 children in the nursery on Wednesday, and towards the end of the day children had to be brought out of the leaking areas.

“We found the leak and called the builders, but by the time they got out we had several more leaks. We just monitored the situation throughout the day, making sure staff and children were safe at all times, and by the end of the day it was reaching a more extreme situation, so we brought the children together and closed the affected areas off.

“How quickly we can get the roof repaired will depend on the insurance claim and how understanding and sympathetic they are, but it’s not just the external damage its the internal damage too, as we will have to think about redecorating the affected areas.

“At the moment we are managing as best we can, the builders have weather-proofed us for now so we should be ok, but it will take several months to get the funds together to repair things properly,” she said.

PC Karena Evans is now appealing for anyone who may have seen someone on the roof of the nursery to get in touch.

“Whoever took this lead must have been on the roof for some time, as about a third of a tonne is missing.”

Anyone who noticed suspicious vehicles or persons, or anyone who might have been offered a large quantity of lead for sale can contact police on 08457 444888 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

By Abigail Bates