Lead thieves use Google Earth to target churches
How bad is the economy? Bad enough for less than savory characters to employ Google Earth to locate and target English buildings with roofs made of metals, such as lead, that they can use to fence for cash. The majority of the buildings hit have been churches and the thieves don’t seem to mind violating their sanctity. In fact, one church has been hit 14 times! One man is calling it “…one of the most serious threats at present to the Church of England’s churches”.
Thieves in Britain are using Google Earth to target lead roofs on Church of England buildings to sell on the lucrative metals market, a Church spokesman said. About 8,000 churches have made insurance claims for lead theft worth about 23 million pounds during the past three years, the Church’s estate commissioner Tony Baldry said during a debate in Westminster Hall.
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