by Hayley Robinson

Thieves who stole lead from a church roof could be caught red handed if they try to sell it on.

The metal taken from the roof of St Mary’s Church, in Conyer Road, Teynham, was marked with Smartwater – a unique property-marking solution with a unique DNA code that links items to its owner.

Local scrap metal dealers have been made aware of the theft and officers have been making door-to-door inquiries in the hope of identifying the thieves.

The crime reduction officer for the Swale Community Safety Unit, Adrian Fromm, said: "Criminals need to be aware that forensic marking has a 100 per cent conviction rate to date with an irrefutable link to the scene of a crime.

"Already where similar trials of the substance are being used they are having excellent results, with noticeable reductions in burglary, robbery and theft. The solution remains on skin and hair for weeks and on clothing or property indefinitely, no matter how hard offenders try to scrub it off."

Up to £10,000 worth of damage was caused to the roof and £5,000 of lead sheeting and flashing was taken between 7pm on Saturday, June 4, and 9.30am the following day.

A further £800 worth of lead sheeting and flashing was taken when the church was targeted for a second time between 5pm Sunday, June 5, and 9am on the Monday.

The Rev Steve Lillicrap discovered the theft after hearing dripping water while giving a sermon on the Sunday. It was only when he and his parishioners went outside to see how it was getting in that they saw the lead was missing.

Tarpaulin has been installed on the roof to protect the inside of the church from rainwater.

Mr Lillicrap said: "The church is still open for services at 10.30am and 3.30pm every Sunday. It is also open every Saturday between 9.30am and 4pm in the summer.

"We have three weddings coming up in July but it won’t affect photographs."

Anyone with information is asked to phone Sittingbourne police station on 01795 419182 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 quoting crime numbers CY/8737/11 and CY/8770/11.