A man who stole lead from historic monuments in Rye is behind bars.
Nathan Cooper, from Southampton, was sentenced to two years imprisonment at Chichester Crown Court after pleading guilty to the thefts.
He was arrested last year, along with another man, after a successful police operation in Rye.
Hundreds of
pounds of lead was stripped from porch roofs throughout the town.
Targets included the Gun Gardens and 900 year old St Mary's Church.
The thefts caused anger in the town when they took place in May 2008.
The Crown Prosecution Service deemed that Cooper should be sent to Crown Court for trial instead of Magistrates Court, which would normally deal with thefts, due to aggravating factors such as the value of the items stolen, the damage caused and impact upon the community.
Over the last month Rye Police have enjoyed good results in apprehending and prosecuting offenders.
Rye Neighbourhood Policing Team is working closely with the community in order to tackle local issues, focusing on the policing priorities for Rye.
Rye PC Paul Fielder said: "Compared with previous months there has been a significant reduction in burglary and criminal damage.
"This can be attributed to local policing operations to target these offences, such as Operation Bathford, equally it can be attributed to prompt and effecting reporting of suspicious activity by local residents.
"Rye NPT recently took part in a joint force operation with Kent Police, operation Collusion, which aims to disrupt the activities of cross border criminals."
Now police in Rye are turning their attention to thefts from vehicles.
PC Fielder said: "Again there have been a few reports of thefts and damage to motor vehicles.
"These sorts of offences can spiral over the summer months with increased numbers of tourist's vehicles in the town.
"You may have noticed that the Rye Police Team has placed crime prevention posters at the majority of public car parks in order to reduce opportunities for thieves.
"Please remove all valuables from your vehicle and secure it.
"There is a wealth of motor vehicle crime prevention advice available at the police station, in Cinque Ports Street."
