ST John’s Church in Wellington is seeking to replace lead stolen from a roof earlier this year with terne-coated stainless steel.

The theft from the single-storey choir vestry roof at the back of the church took place during a violent storm in February.

It was the third time St John’s had been targeted in recent years and was one of 11 similar lead thefts at churches in Somerset between August 2019 and March 2020.

The parochial church council has put forward a planning application to Somerset West and Taunton Council to replace the lead roof and emergency grant funding has been sought to help fund the work, expected to cost about £15,000.

A statement accompanying the application says: “Terne-coated steel has been selected as the best alternative as it closely resembles traditional lead sheet, is extremely hard-wearing and is much harder for thieves to steal and sell on.

“The financial cost of replacing the lead due to the shortfall from the church insurers has placed a great deal of pressure and anxiety on the parish, especially as it was not possible to achieve the local fundraising target due to the church closure during lockdown.”

The choir vestry roof was unprotected from the storm at the time of the theft and suffered severe water damage, and a waterproof membrane added shortly after did not completely prevent water entering the building.

The statement added: “Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, works could not be organised to replace the lost lead, and there has been some subsequent damage to the choir vestry room below, which will now have to be rectified as well.

“Stonework has suffered damage and the water ingress from the recent storms continues to cause significant damage to the building fabric, and significant harm to interior finishes and furnishings.

“The timber roof was saturated making it more susceptible to fungal and insect attack, leading to further degradation. A box profile lead downpipe guiding water from the north aisle gable hopper to the vestry roof was also removed during the incident, as well as the gutter along the edge of the flat roof.”

The church has also stepped up security with camera surveillance measures and alarms installed to monitor the roofs and alert churchwardens on their mobile devices to trespassers.

The statement says the proposals are in line with Historic England advice on responding to metal theft from historic buildings and are in character with the church. It is hoped to have the new covering installed by the end of the year.