Town hall badly damaged by lead theft, council says

People were urged to avoid Church Street by the town hall on Wednesday morning

Tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused to a town hall after thieves stole lead from its roof, knocking off masonry from the building.

Several blocks landed on Church Street on Wednesday morning prompting the area to be cordoned off by West Midlands Police.

Investigations revealed lead was stolen, damaging the roof of the hall which also flooded on Tuesday due to the wet weather, the City of Wolverhampton Council said.

The building had been closed and events there would be postponed until the safety of anyone using it could be guaranteed, the council added.

The blocks were believed to have fallen off the building on Wednesday, the council said

Urgent repair work would have to be carried out after the "despicable act", councillor Chris Burden said.

“Bilston Town Hall sits at the heart of the community and we have invested heavily in improving the facility in recent years while remaining sensitive to its heritage status," he said.

“This is a despicable act by mindless thieves who have a total disregard of community needs and safety.

"It has already forced the closure of the town hall in the short term and other events will need to be postponed until we can guarantee everyone’s safety."

West Midlands Police said it was investigating the theft.