LEAD thieves caused £3,000 worth of damage when they struck at Age UK’s Mansion House headquarters in St Helens.

The gang gained access by pulling apart steel railings and stole lead from the roof of the building and pulled a lightning conductor from the ground.

AGE UK’s director of corporate funding Teresa Bowen-Brown told the Star: “The thieves didn’t get into the building but they stole two square feet of lead, broke roof tiles and damaged the garden and fencing.

“It’s upsetting for our hard-working volunteers to put in a lot of effort delivering services in the community then to have this happen.”