Heritage bodies to tackle church thefts

“Night hawking” – illegal metal detecting to find treasure – and metal theft from churches are both increasing, according to English Heritage.

The number of insurance claims by churches for stolen metal in 2010 was 20 times that in 2005, the heritage body said.

Other crimes and anti-social behaviour which damage England’s heritage include vehicles and bikes being driven over archaeological sites, graffiti, arson and criminal damage to historic buildings.

English Heritage, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service are steering the development of a nationwide network among enforcement bodies, local councils and groups such as the National Trust, the Church of England and the Woodland Trust to co-ordinate efforts to tackle heritage crimes.

The initiative will focus on four types of crime: damage caused to the historic environment by fire, graffiti and vehicle damage; unlawful excavation and removal of artefacts from sites such as protected wrecks and illegal metal detecting; architectural theft of items ranging from stone walls to vintage street signs and unlawful alteration and demolition of listed buildings.

Baroness Andrews, chairwoman of English Heritage, said: “Heritage crime robs us of our history. Its effect on our lives is insidious and felt often too late.

“Beautiful buildings are scarred forever, places we treasure and enjoy lose their identity and appeal, evidence about our past is lost and tourism suffers, not to mention the burden on owners to repair and put things right.

“Society needs to work together to combat these criminal activities.”

Last year the first national assessment was conducted looking at what posed the greatest threats to the country’s heritage, which revealed arson, problems caused by vehicles, architectural theft – including stealing metal – and the removal of artefacts from protected sites were the biggest problems.

As part of the initiative local history societies, neighbourhood watch and residents groups will be encouraged to raise awareness of the risk of criminal damage to historic sites and buildings in their areas.