LEAD has been stolen from the roof of Alloa Ludgate Church four times over the past three months.

Thefts from the Bedford Place-based church – which is responsible for charity The Gate – started at the end of January and repair works look set to cost thousands of pounds.

The missing lead has resulted in water leaking in through the organ pipes, causing serious damage to the musical instrument which dates back to around the 1800s.

One half of the organ has been rendered useless and an expert will be needed to fix it.

Locum Minister, Reverend Jim Cochrane, said, “Financially it’s costing us a lot of money. Because the insurance doesn’t cover everything we are having to dig deep.

“We are waiting on some people coming up from the south to examine the organ. It’s one of the best organs in the country and we have got a lot of professionals who want to come and play it and it’s a great opportunity for them to play such a wonderful instrument.

“It’s going to cost several thousands of pounds to have it repaired.” The church wants to raise awareness about the harm being caused and Ludgate property convener, Jim Paterson, said, “We’d just like to highlight the damage that’s being done. We are just removing all the lead and replacing it with felt to prevent further theft.” Reverend Cochrane added, “We’d ask people to be vigilant and aware around their churches, and schools as well, and to report anything suspicious that they might see immediately to police.”