THE manager of a Grade II listed spinning mill in Uffculme has branded thieves who stole thousands of pounds worth of lead flashing from the property’s roof “scum”.

On Tuesday night (February 3), thieves broke into the grounds of the Coldharbour Mill Working Wool Museum in Uffculme and stripped the 8ft x 25ft lead flashing with an estimated value of £2,000 off the roof of the 200-year-old property.

Mill manager Ian Gammon described the theft as “sickening”.

He said: “In the morning we came in and went through the normal unlocking routine, and then a couple of volunteers came in, looked out of the window and said ‘the lead’s gone!’

“I looked out on to the roof and could see that they’d stripped off the lead flashing from half of the roof.

“The worrying part is that there’s still the other half which could be stolen as well.

“It’s sickening really – these heritage places and charitable trusts struggle to keep going, and it’s not just the cost that’s the problem – it’s all the upheaval and disruption, and the time involved in trying to put it right.

“We have a roofer who specialises in lead coming to look at it tomorrow, so we won’t know a cost until then, but it’s in the thousands for sure.

“My warning to other heritage centres is to be extra vigilant at this time because the thieves are obviously in the area.

“Everyone here is gutted for the mill and the project – we’ve been supported by a lot of volunteers who put in so much time, and then you get scum come along and nick all the lead.

“Everyone’s hard work has been ruined because of some idiots.”

Paul Tucker, chairman of Coldharbour Mill Trust Ltd, said: “The trustees wish to warn other historic properties in the area to be aware of these metal thieves who cause very expensive damage to buildings, and potentially their important assets inside, through their actions.”

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information about the lead theft to call them on 101, quoting crime reference number CR007991/15.