lancashiretelegraph
15th January 2011 - ‘ARROGANT’ metal thieves climbed on to the roof of a town centre police station to steal lead.
The raid at Great Harwood station led to a changing room being damaged when rainwater poured through the ceiling during a storm.
Police said the thieves took the lead from a flat-roof section of the building in Hesketh Street, which officers moved into in 2009.
The police station is used as a base 24 hours a day by response and neighbourhood officers, although it is only open to the public from 8am to 8pm.
Chief Inspector Damien Darcy said it was thought the theft happened when officers were on patrol and no one was in the building.
Graham Jones, Hyndburn MP, said metal thieves were blighting the area but said the police station crime was the ‘most audacious yet’.
He said: “To target a police station in this way shows just how arrogant they are becoming. I call on members of the public to be vigilant and to report anything suspicious straight away.
“These thieves are driving flat bed trucks around and are quite unconcerned about being challenged.
"If residents stop them, thieves simply say they are repairing something, or that they thought the metal was to be thrown away."
It is not known exactly when the theft took place at the former Job Centre building.
A problem was first noticed when heavy rain this week caused a leak in the roof of the locker rooms, which are located in an annexe at the back of the police station.
RIPPED: Above, the damaged roof where the thieves struck at Great Harwood police station
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