ONE of Greenock’s most historic churches has come under attack FIVE times from lowlife thieves – who have ripped more than £20,000 worth of lead from its roof.

The minister at Wellpark Mid Kirk in Cathcart Square today condemned those responsible for jeopardising the A-listed building and said they are forcing pensioners to pay for the repairs.

In a bid to beat the thieves, the church has now been forced to put a raft of anti-theft measures in place — including the installation of CCTV cameras.

The town centre church — where the town’s Remembrance Sunday service takes place every year — is appealing for those with a connection to the organisation to support a fundraising appeal.

The church is facing a massive £28,000 bill to repair the damage and keep the thieves out.

Launching the fundraising campaign, Reverend Alan Sorensen said: “This is not a victimless crime.

“The people who will pay for those repairs are our pensioners in the congregation. These are often people who are on a fixed income, but will give money out of their own pocket to replace the lead that has been stolen.

“We have done everything in our power to stop the thieves from doing this but so far it hasn’t worked.

“The problem is that we have to repair the damage, because if not the roof will come in and we will be faced with a bill of about half a million pounds.

“We are working with the police to try to stop these criminal acts.” The lead has been repeatedly stolen from the roof over the last seven weeks.

Church property convenor Grace Kennedy said: “We have to replace it with lead because it is a listed building.

“It is such a shame because we have just paid off the money we owed for the refurbishments of the church.

“We thought we would finally be free of payments, and now this has started.

“We are the Town Kirk so there have been so many baptisms and weddings here.

“People feel a real connection to the church and I just hope they can help.” The church is urging anyone who may have spotted suspicious activity to come forward and report it.

Anyone with information should contact Greenock police on 101 or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.