Lead stolen from Huddersfield school roof
A man who stole lead from the roof of Huddersfield Grammar School has narrowly escaped jail.
Thomas Guinan, 21, of Brighouse, pleaded guilty at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court to stealing the lead from the roof in April this year.
There has been an increasing number of lead thefts from Huddersfield roofs with churches and schools the main targets. As a result, lead theft is now treated as a much more serious offence.
Vanessa Schofield, prosecuting, said the school had experienced difficulties with lead thefts in recent months.
Ms Schofield said: “He must have been aware that police were interested in speaking to him because he handed himself in to Huddersfield Police Station.’’
In mitigation, Hajra Khan, said: “The lead has been recovered, there were others involved, it was not just my client and there was intimidation to get him to take part in this crime.
“Of course this is a serious offence and Mr Guinan is aware of that.”
Chairman of the bench, Wayne Perriman, said: “You must have realised the legal system now lead thefts are considered to be very, very serious.
“You have stolen lead from a listed building, a grammar school, which has an impact on the community.
“We were considering sending you to prison (today) because we regard it as that serious.”
However, he said the bench had decided to impose a community order for 12 months with conditions.
Afterwards, the school’s headmaster, Tim Hoyle, said: “We have had professional roofers in to repair the damage.”
If you have been the victims of lead theft and would like roofing repairs carried out to your home, business or school then contact Huddersfield roofers DPR Roofing today.
Roofing fix in Denby Dale does the trick
The owners of a lovely home in Denby Dale, near Huddersfield, had spotted that several tiles on their front porch elevation had come loose and promptly called DPR to survey the roof.
DPR confirmed that a simple bit of rebedding and pointing would rectify the situation and promptly got to it.
We lifted and cleaned all of the front pediment ridge tiles and set them aside for rebedding.
We then removed all of the old mortar bedding before rebedding the cleaned and refreshed tiles and pointing them off with quality roofing grade mortar.
In addition, we raked out all the loose and defective pointing to the valley area of the roof and repointed where necessary.
As usual, DPR’s roofers cleared and cleaned the area before heading on to another job in the Huddersfield area.
Commercial Roof Repair for Huddersfield Roofers
DPR Roofing Huddersfield have recently completed a commercial roof repair project at a branch of the sportswear store Footlocker in Huddersfield.
DPR roofers used a powered access boom to complete the roof survey and emergency roof repairs at the premises. These all took place on a Sunday for health and safety reasons due to a lack of pedestrians in the area on that day.
The repair project involved removal of damaged slates which could cause leakage and replacement with good quality slates using code 4 lead straps and galvanised fixings. Refixing of all dislodged slates using code 4 lead straps and galvanised fixings. The roofers also raked out the entire loose and defective ridge pointing as required and repointed it back to good using a roofing grade mortar. Finally they raked out loose and defective pointing to step and apron lead flashings and replugged accordingly, pointing off using a lead mate compound in preference to mortar which cracks due to differential thermal movement of mortar and lead.
Before DPR Roofers left the site all resultant rubble from above works was removed from site and dispose of accordingly.
Comprehensive Roof Repair for Huddersfield Roofer
DPR Roofing Huddersfield have recently completed a comprehensive roof repair project in Huddersfield, HD1.
Following an inspection of the domestic property by DPR’s roofers it was found that that repair works were required to the slates, the ridge pointing, the lead flashings and one of the roof valleys.
The project involved removing damaged slates which could cause leakage and replace with good quality slates using code 4 lead straps and galvanised fixings whilst also refixing any dislodged slates also using code 4 lead straps and galvanised fixings.
Roofers then fit new straps to the rear glass light as past experience in these shows it a very wise task to do as this glass is a heavy weight against the single lead strap in place and can easily slip out especially during snow fall weight.
Raking out of all loose and defective ridge pointing and repointing back to good using roofing grade mortar. Followed by raking out loose and defective pointing to the step and apron lead flashings, which were replugged accordingly and pointed off using a lead mate compound, in preference to mortar which cracks due to differential thermal movement of mortar and lead.
One of the valleys was is in poor condition with flashband type strips; this is poor building practice and generally considered temporary material. In order rectify tis DPR cleaned down the valley area, removed all flashband remnants, primed and applied a two stage coating of a glass fibre based valley coating compound to ensure watertightness.
Huddersfield Roofers Repair Defective Lead Flashings
When any part of a roof meets a vertical surface or abutment the joint between the vertical surface and the roof covering needs to be sealed against leaks. Lead is usually used for this and when installed in this way it is called Lead Flashing. Lead is used because it is a very durable material which has the ability to expand and contract with varying temperatures. This is essential on a roof which is quite obviously open to all elements.
DPR Roofing Huddersfield recently completed a project in Golcar which involved repair works to the step flashings on a property. An inspection had found that the pointing had become defective which was leaving the property open to water penetration.
In order to rectify the problem DPR’s roofers raked out all of the existing pointing to the flashings. They checked all of the lead soakers and replaced any which were found to be split or damaged. To complete the project the roofer reset the lead flashings, plugging with traditional plugs and repointed in a leadmate waterproof compound for ultimate water protection.
Leaking Roof No Problem for DPR Roofers
DPR Roofing were contacted by a home owner in Lower Cumberworth, Huddersfield when she noticed that water was leaking through the roof of the existing single storey extension of her property.
A roofer from DPR attended the property and carried out a thorough inspection of the roof to identify the cause of the leak. They discovered that the lead flashings had lifted and were therefore causing water to penetrate the building.
To rectify the problem DPR lifted up the full code four lead apron flashing, thoroughly cleaned down the top course of roof tiles and applied a primer/seal to the upper section of top course tiles. They then lay a new leadmate compound adhesive and dress code four lead apron flashing to the same, cutting off any excess sealant. To finish DPR’s roofers carried out a water test to ensure no water was penetrating the new lead flashings.
DPR Roofing in Huddersfield aim to complete every domestic roof repair job quickly, with minimal disruption and at a competitive price. To discuss your roofing requirements contact us today on 01484 866 772.
Metal Thieves Target Huddersfield Church Roof
Last week metal thieves climbed on to the roof of Christ Church Woodhouse, in Sheepridge, and stripped the lead from the roof.
During the theft tiles have been removed from parts of the roof and officials fear any heavy rain will cause damage inside the building, which dates back to 1828. Emergency sheeting has been rigged up to protect the organ which sits directly below one of the areas of roof damage. Full roof repairs will be made when the extent of the roof damage can be inspected.
Church council member Alan Danielson said: “They have somehow managed to climb up to the highest point of the roof, removed some tiles and then taken off the lead, although in other parts they have left the lead there. Police think they may have been disturbed.
“We will be talking to the builders who are coming to do the repairs about finding an alternative. Many years ago when we had lead stolen, it was replaced by a plastic liner which is of no use to the thieves”
DPR Roofers Complete Roof Repairs after Strong Winds
DPR’s experienced roofers were contacted by the occupants of a property in Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield after strong winds and stormy weather caused damage to their property’s roof.
An initial survey undertaken by the roofers identified that the strong winds had caused damage to the pointing and also to the roof slates. If this damage was not repaired it could cause leaking of rainwater into the property and the risk of further more extensive damage to the roof if further bad weather was experienced.
DPR removed and raked out the loose and defective pointing caused by severe uplift of wind and repointed these areas back to good using a quality roofing grade mortar. They also removed and replaced the damaged slates with good quality second hand slates using code 4 lead straps and galvanised fixings and refixed any dislodged slates.
New Roofing Project for DPR Huddersfield
DPR Roofing have recently completed a new roofing project in Salendine Nook, Huddersfield. They were contact by the owners of the property to survey the flat roof coverings to the rear elevation which were in need of replacement.
The roofing project involved stripping off the existing felt covering at which point the condition of roof decking sheets could be assessed and any replacements made. It is not possible to ascertain the full condition of boarding (decking) until the felt is stripped off.
The roof was then covered in a high performance/fibre glass backed polyester base felt, green mineral edgings and upstands. The upstands were chased in to the wall and pointed to ensure a watertight seal. A solar reflective compound was then applied to the completed base felts. This is essential in keeping the heat from causing damage to the roofing.
DPR Complete New Roof Project in Huddersfield
DPR Roofing Huddersfield recently completed a project involving the removal and replacement of a new roof on a house in Netherton, Huddersfield.
Prior to constructing the new roof DPR initially stripped and disposed of the existing external roof covering, ridge tiles, old flashings and the old roof lattes. Then cleaned down all the structural roof timbers and de-nailed all rafters.
Before fitting the new concrete interlocking roof tiles DPR installed new quality BNS747 breathable under tile felt. This felt negates the requirement for fixed and aesthetically unappealing roof vents which can detract from the overall appearance of a new roof covering. Then DPR fitted new pre-treated timber battens (lattes). These are horizontal timbers required to ‘hang’ and fix the new roof material to. It is important that these are treated to remove the possibility of de-fibre taking place as is a common case on un-treated timber lattes.
New code 4 leadwork was fitted to the chimneystack abutments. These are sheet lead flashings that are bespoke made on the roof site by DPR roof technicians to fit perfectly the masonry abutments that they are protecting from water ingress. Flashings are traditionally plugged (fixed) and pointed off with a lead mate compound which is a material sealant that has the same thermal movement as sheet lead and therefore does not split or crack in a short period of time like mortar pointing does. To finish the roof DPR fit new ridge tiles and pointed flush to new mortar bedding.