The organised gangs have switched from stealing copper³ and other types of metal following new rules demanding tighter checks by scrap⁴ metal merchants.

 

Schools, churches, memorial gardens, farm buildings, homes and even historic city pavements are being targeted by the criminals.

 

The stone is being sold on to unscrupulous builders who use it to create kitchen floors and work surfaces, fireplaces, patios⁵, drives and walls.

 

People with valuable stone on their property, such as Portland - which was used in the construction of St Paul's Cathedral - Yorkshire and Cotswold are most at risk.

 

Eric Bignell, editor of Natural Stone Specialist magazine, said the uses for stone in the home have increased massively in recent years.

 

'People want something which is substantial in their home, from hard landscaping to housing interiors,' he said.

 

'It's very desirable to have a house built with stone walls, but we're also seeing stone floors, fireplaces, even kitchens all have granite⁶ worktops now and stone theft is a problem.

 

'People are stealing everything from stone walls and tiles to garden statues to reuse in the home.'

 

Recent cases include a Cotswold farmer, who was left with a £50,000 repair bill after thieves stole the stone roof from his stable block twice in three weeks.

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