Lead thieves target Blackpool model village

The original lead tiles on the model village properties were all hand-made

Scrap metal thieves have stolen lead roof tiles from miniature houses at Blackpool's model village tourist attraction.

Owner Anita Brakewell said the thieves had targeted various properties which would now need to have their roofs replaced with roofing felt.

She said despite the damage, the thieves stood to benefit by only a few hundred pounds.

Police said instances of lead theft had more than doubled in a year.

The model village near Stanley Park sits in two-and-a-half acres of landscaped gardens and is built to a one-twelfth scale.

Properties range from a Scottish castle to a Cornish fishing village.

There are thatched cottages, a Tudor village where model residents are enjoying a cricket match on the village green, and a working tram running through a shopping centre.

Mrs Brakewell said: "Every year we have problems with vandalism and theft, we get our little people stolen.

"We used to have an awful lot of golfers and we're down to about half a dozen because people pick them up and walk out with them.

"But to be honest if you didn't laugh about it you couldn't do it. We make everything ourselves and you become quite passionate about it, and when they disappear or get lost you either laugh or cry, and I'd rather laugh."

Lancashire police said in 2009 there were 728 lead thefts in the county, compared with 1,469 in 2010.