Stolen lectern spotted in Romania

Parishioners were convinced that the weighty 4ft reading desk, which is topped with an eagle and worth around £2,000, had been melted down by rogue scrap metal merchants.

But church-goers were stunned when a man in Romania contacted Wiltshire Police to report the center-piece lectern had been spotted at an antiques fair in the eastern European country.


The remarkable discovery will fuel suspicions that foreign gangs are behind many of the recent spate of metal thefts that have blighted communities across Britain.