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As Copper Prices Rise, English Churches Lose Roofs to Theft
New alarms have been fitted on 100 church roofs across England in a new scheme to tackle the spate of copper thefts prompted by an increase in the metal's price.

According to Ecclesiastical, a British company that writes insurance policies for churches, more than 2,600 claims for stolen copper rooftops were reported by parishes last year, an all-time high. The response to this grim side effect of rising copper prices is Hands Off Our Church Roofs, a program spearheaded by the Lord Bishop of London, Richard Chartres. The bishop recently told the British press that since the metal vandals have descended in such hordes over the years, our duty of maintenance has become nearly impossible. The alarms theyre installing on an initial 100 English churches emit a deep voice announcing that the theft of copper roofing is taking place.