A CHURCH minister says he is upset and saddened after discovering that thieves stole £2,000 worth of lead from the roof of his Port church.

Reverend Andrew MacLean, right, from St Andrew’s told the Telegraph he was disappointed that the building in Church Street has been targeted.

The theft means that the church will have to fork out for repairs using money which had been raised for charitable causes.

Rev MacLean said: “It’s upsetting because we don’t have huge reserves of money.

“We will have to divert the money that we have for charitable purposes to pay for the lead — it’s a shame.

“It’s disappointing that people make thieves of themselves for not much return.” The theft only came to light after maintenance checks were carried out on the church building.

Rev MacLean, who has been at the church for the past 22 years, explained: “Every five years the Church of Scotland arranges for all of its properties to be examined to see what maintenance needs to be undertaken.

“An architect came along and thought that the roof had been damaged but on closer investigation it was clear that the lead had been ripped away from where it belongs, and has now vanished into the scrap metal system.

“I’m afraid we don’t know when it happened but I do know that it has caused some structural damage.

“If it had been a wet summer then it could have caused extremely serious damage.” Police are investigating the theft and officers have slammed those responsible for it.

Sergeant Allan O’Hare of Greenock police office, said: “This is a particularly contemptible crime, to target a local parish church.

“We need the public’s assistance in tracing those responsible “We’re keen to hear from anyone who saw persons on the roof of the church.” Anyone with information is asked to call the police 101 non-emergency number or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.