Moment water pours into historic building after 'mindless thieves' strip lead from roof

The moment water began streaming through the ceiling of a historic building has been caught on camera. The flooding took place at Bilston Town Hall after thieves stole lead from the roof.

Tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage has been done to the 19th-century building, with the local council forced to carry out urgent repairs. A councillor has dubbed those responsible for the damage "mindless" and hopes to "bring the culprits to book."

Church Street was cordoned off yesterday (Wednesday, July 10) following the damage to the masonry work. Security measures have now been stepped up at the site as officials work on making the town hall safe.

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City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, Cllr 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.

"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.

"The repercussions of this theft are absolutely devastating for everyone who uses the town hall, and I would urge anyone who has any information about the theft to please call the police as soon as possible on 101, quoting crime reference 20/597776/24, so we can bring the culprits to book."

A spokesperson for the council added: "The City of Wolverhampton Council will now have to carry out urgent major repair works to make the building safe and the affected rooms fit for use by community groups."