Manchester Cathedral at the mercy of God over metal thefts In November thieves took a 150-year-old lead drainpipe from the cathedral, causing £1,500 damage. Cathedral officials are replacing stolen metal with a zinc-alloy which has little resale value. Last year was the worst on record for metal thefts from churches, according to figures released by the insurance industry earlier this month. Ecclesiastical, the main Church of England insurer, received 2,500 claims, 100 more than its previous record of 2,400 in 2008. Chelmsford in Essex was the worst-hit diocese. St John the Baptist in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, is replacing its lead with glass fibre after being targeted seven times by thieves since May. Metal theft is estimated to cost the country £10 billion a year. Thieves have raided railway lines, church roofs, community centres, war memorials, works of art, manhole covers and even plaques in cemeteries.