Lead thieves hit former Telford youth club's roof

A patch of lead was taken from the roof of the Gower School House in St Georges the same week as scaffolding went up as part of work to protect and repair the building, in Gower Street, for future redevelopment.

The theft comes the same week as the community group responsible for the site's redevelopment had just won nearly £10,000 of lottery funding for the building.

Councillor Richard Overton, ward member for St Georges, said: "We had a report at the end of last week from the contractor that a small area of lead had been stolen from the roof.

"In order to ensure no further incidents of theft over the weekend, we asked Business Watch to step up their surveillance in the area.

"We are working with the Gower Heritage and Enterprise group on the project. Many of their members live locally, so we spoke to them and asked that they keep an eye on the site over the weekend.

"Where we're repairing the roof during the current works, we're using a lead substitute which has no value so will not be stolen."

Stephen Handley, a member of the Gower Heritage and Enterprise Group, said they are calling for people in the area to keep an eye out for suspicious activity near the building.

It is the second time that thieves have raided lead from the roof.

The Gower Old School House is one of the best preserved examples of a Victorian building of its kind remaining nationally and it has been granted Grade II Listed status.

Scaffolding has gone up around the historic building this week as work gets under way to repair the roof before the worst of the winter weather.

The works follow a series of events carried out by the Gower Heritage and Enterprise group last month and takes place as the group considers the options for the future use of the building.

It has been busy preparing a business plan which will commit the remainder of the council funding that has been allocated for its redevelopment and also potentially attract further grant cash.

The current work should last around three weeks and will focus on parts of the roof that are in the worst condition.

The Gower Heritage and Enterprise group is concentrating on developing further funding opportunities to see the building refurbished to a high standard – internal refurbishment will start as soon as that funding is in place, which is expected by mid-2016.

In the meantime the group is hoping to improve the external area and grounds of the building.

Councillor Overton added: "It is great to see work finally starting on the building and we are very pleased to be working closely with the Gower Heritage Group.

"This initial work will protect the building from expected bad weather during the course of the winter ahead of a full restoration and refurbishment.

"I am looking forward to seeing the Gower Heritage Group's plans for the building's future community and business use – it has the potential to once again be a fantastic facility for St George's."

The misfortune of the stolen lead also comes the same week that the Gower Heritage and Enterprise group celebrated an award of £9,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).