Metal thieves targeted schools and churches in raids across Abingdon.

Criminals stripped lead from Carswell Primary School, Abingdon School, Abingdon Town Council’s offices, Our Lady’s Abingdon, and St Peter’s Church in Drayton.

The crimes all took place between last Friday and yesterday morning.

At Carswell Primary, in Bostock Road, lead was stripped from three sections of the roof between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. But it is believed the thieves were disturbed and left without taking the metal.

School office manager Lyn Spiers said: “The children are horrified. It is just an uneasy feeling that people have got in and vandalised the place.”

At Abingdon Town Council, lead sheeting was stolen from a porch roof.

Town clerk Nigel Warner said: “It is very sad that this sort of crime seems to be on the increase.”

At Our Lady’s Abingdon lead was stolen from a porch roof, and it was taken from above a double door at St Peter’s Church in Drayton.

Natalie Merry, secretary to the diocesan advisory committee, which looks after Oxford Diocese buildings, said: “The consequences for parishes go beyond what the thief may envisage. There is the cost of repairs to the roof of the church and that takes funding away from projects in the community.”

Lead was stolen from the roofs of Gillotts School in Henley at the end of August and from Henley College’s Rotherfield site on September 10.

And also from the college’s Deanfield site between September 12 and 16.

There was also an attempted theft of lead from Henley College between September 17 and 18.