guidance notes
Theft of metal - guidance notes
As a leading insurer of historic heritage property, Ecclesiastical has seen an increasing trend in the theft of metals from our insureds premises in the UK. As at the end of November 2007 our UK office have received a staggering 2,200 claims at an estimated total cost of almost 7.6m (10.4m) for Anglican churches, schools and other heritage property across the country.
To date, we have not noticed an increase in the incidence of metal thefts in Ireland. However, in the UK, lead, copper and stainless steel roof coverings, copper lightning conductors, lead and copper rainwater pipes, bronze statues, iron gates and even church bells have all been stolen in recent months.
Our view in Ireland is that we should do everything in our power to prevent a similar outbreak occurring here. Putting aside the irreplaceable loss of heritage, the financial loss arising from these thefts goes beyond the cost of just replacing the stolen metal. Damage to stonework caused during the course of the theft can be significant, as well as water damage to internal furnishings if the theft of roof coverings is not discovered until after it rains.
The increased world demand for metals and the speculative investment in base metals by financial investors, have seen the international price of lead and copper reach an all time high, closely followed by other metal prices, such as zinc, nickel and aluminium. The rewards for thieves are high and they are becoming increasingly organised and bold in their attacks, often posing as builders legitimately working on church or school property.
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In the event of a theft of metal from your property you should immediately do the following:
Whilst this trend has not migrated to Ireland yet, we would encourage you to take a proactive approach to protecting your buildings.
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