It has been visited by urban explorers, also suffered from numerous metal thefts.

There seems to be very little government action on metal theft which is a growing problem.

If these levels were repeated across the country it would suggest that between 50,000 and 60,000 metal thefts were actually committed - 1,000 every week.

The previous year there were 23,743 metal thefts reported by the forces and in 2007 there were just 15,002, half the current total.

"This has been a remarkable year in terms of metal theft," he said.

One defining characteristic of metal theft is the motivation.

Last year was the worst on record for metal thefts from churches according to figures released by the insurance industry.

Police forces estimate there are now around 1,000 metal thefts every week.

The Schoolfield Cemetery had been experiencing problems with metal theft.

Since 2005, several cases of metal theft from her have been reported to local authorities.