Arun’s appeal for help after theft

The warning comes after major damage was done to the roof of the council-owned toilet block and boathouse, at Windmill Parade, near Coastguard Road, at some point last month.

Lead flashing was discovered stolen from the roof, and water in the power supply on Thursday. Work has since been carried out by the contract from Arun District Council to make the building’s electrics safe, but there’s still a considerable amount of water damage as a result of the missing lead flashing.

The cost of replacing the missing lead is estimated to be in the region of £4,500.

Arun’s cabinet member for community safety, councillor Paul Wotherspoon, said: “Metal theft is a big problem nationally at the moment. We know there have been cases where people have been fatally injured trying to carry out this type of crime. I hope that fact will deter others from future copy-cat attempts.

“If residents see anyone that looks like they’re carrying out building work at odd times of the day or loading metal items onto a vehicle they should not be afraid to call the police, before it’s too late. The council will now have to find the money to repair this damage, which puts even more pressure on us when it comes to trying to keep council tax low.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.