A WEST Oxfordshire church is replacing its stolen lead roof with stainless steel to deter would-be thieves.

St Nicholas Church in Tackley has had three attacks on its lead roof in recent years. In one, a church member was assaulted.

The latest incident came in February, with thieves stealing the majority of lead from the church’s south aisle and leaving a gaping hole in the roof.

Since then, the church has been protected with tarpaulin sheets.

Stainless steel is almost a fifth of the price of lead and is less flexible and harder to steal.

But it will still cost the church about £16,000 to install the new roof, with only £5,000 coming from the insurance company. The church will have to raise the rest.

The church, lead by the vicar Fr Mark Clavier, has applied to West Oxfordshire District Council and the Diocese of Oxford for permission to install it.

Churchwarden Sylvia Reddington said: “Lead has been taken from this particular church on at least two previous occasions before February.”

In 2008, church treasurer Peter Grondona was pushed to the ground after he disturbed an attempted lead theft. He was left with bruising to his head.

The latest theft was discovered on Saturday, February 4, when a cleaner noticed dirt on the floor and looked up to see a hole in the roof.

Mrs Reddington said: “We were very lucky because we managed to get local people along with ladders and tarpaulin before the snow fell at lunchtime. Without that the damage would have been quite considerable inside the church.”

But she said the attack had left the church community “cross and upset”, adding: “It gives rise to un-Christian thoughts sometimes.

“We have no money. It is very frustrating, but we have got to have the roof repaired so we will have to raise it somehow.”

The new stainless steel roof will be coated in a thin layer of 80 per cent lead and 20 per cent tin and will appear similar to a lead roof.

Metalprices.com states that lead has been averaging about £2.53/kg over the last month, compared to 58p/kg for steel.

The only issue with the new roof is that stainless steel needs to be replaced every 30 to 60 years, while lead lasts for 200 years.

Mrs Reddington said: “We would have preferred to replace the lead with lead. We hope this will stop the thefts from ever happening again.”

Diocesan Advisory Committee secretary Natalie Merry said: “The diocese has approved alternative materials to lead for church roofs in certain cases, although it is not appropriate for all churches.”