THE vicar of a church which has had lead stolen from its roof has called the experience heart breaking.

As previously reported, St Mark’s Church, in Winchester Road, Ampfield, was targeted between Tuesday, April 16 and Wednesday, April 17.

Rev Vanessa Lawrence said: “It’s really sad. I first noticed that a big lump of stone had fallen off the church (on April 17), and I couldn’t work out what had caused that.

"So, I rang a builder, and the architect and builder came and had a look and said that the lead had been stolen.

"Getting up on the roof, (the thieves) have caused quite a lot of damage to the stonework as well as removing all the lead, which is really sad.

"We have an ex-church warden who had to deal with this six or seven years ago when it happened before and so he checks to make sure the lead is still there when he drives past."

Daily Echo: St Mark's Church, AmpfieldSt Mark's Church, Ampfield (Image: Rev'd Vanessa Lawrence)

Rev Lawrence said that it is currently not known how much it will cost to repair the damage or replace the lead.

She added that, although the church has CCTV on the roof, the thieves managed to avoid the cameras.

However, the lead has been marked with a Smartwater system, which Rev Lawrence hopes will aid police in tracking it down.

She continued: “It’s really heart breaking, and a lot of our church members have been heartbroken as well. We love our church very much, and people put a lot of time and energy and love into caring for the church building and have done for many years, and it has so much meaning for so many people.

“Especially for people in Ampfield and the surrounding area who have had weddings or funerals or baptisms, it has real meaning for people.

"And I think, in a very broken and troubled world, the church stands for something hopeful and something that is good, and so to have it damaged like this does really hurt.

“I think lots of people are really sad about it.”

Rev Lawrence said that the church is currently working on replacing the lead, a process which she said could take some weeks due to needing to arrange building works and liaising with the Diocese of Winchester.

She said: “There’s quite a lot to get through before we can get to the point of it being replaced.”

A police spokesperson said: “If anyone has any information regarding this incident, please call 101 quoting reference 44240162647.”