Repairs to begin on Roman museum damaged by thieves

The museum and fort has welcomed almost a million visitors since it opened in June 2000

Work to repair a Roman fort and museum's roof which was damaged by thieves has been given the go-ahead.

Last year, copper and lead were ripped from the roof of Segedunum Roman Fort and Museum in Wallsend, North Tyneside.

Scaffolding was put up around the museum to carry out repairs, but the thieves returned and used the structure to access the roof again.

North Tyneside Council said the repair work, which begins next week, will replace cladding with steel seam which has no scrap value.

'Visitors still welcome'

Geoff Woodward, manager of Segedunum, said the impact of the damaged roof had been "frustrating" for visitors and "challenging" for the front of house team.

He added: "It will be fantastic to see the roof restored and this popular World Heritage Site attraction back to normal."

The roof work is expected to be finished by the end of August, with minor repairs and redecoration to follow.

However, visitors will still be welcomed throughout the summer, as restricted access is expected to be kept to a minimum, the museum said.

Segedunum became a scheduled ancient monument in 1982 and later a fully-fledged World Heritage site in 1987.

It is managed for the local authority by Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums and has welcomed almost a million visitors since it opened in June 2000.