Vandalism on rise at historic sites amid cost of living crisis, says report

From York stone gouged from a 200-year-old bridge to graffiti sprayed on a 13th-century chapel, the nation's most cherished historic sites have seen a rise in theft and vandalism, with the cost of living crisis only expected to worsen the problem.

- Dalya Alberge

A major report into the "scale and extent of heritage and cultural property crime" will be published today by Historic England and the National Police Chiefs' Council.

It warns: "The theft of valuable heritage materials and cultural objects by opportunist offenders and organised crime groups is likely to increase as inflation continues to impact on the price of commodities ... Arson, vandalism, graffiti and other forms of antisocial behaviour continue to pose a significant threat."

It calls for police "to better record, collate and analyse crimes and incidents relating to the loss and damage". It notes that there is currently no standard system across all police forces, which limits the understanding of the true scale of heritage crime - let alone how to combat it.

Research carried out over three years from 2020 has revealed that thefts of historic stone from heritage sites, for example, rose 9% in 2022.

York stone is a popular building material, partly because of its colour variety and durability, and thieves are stripping slabs of it from the walls and pavings of historic sites.

The report notes: "Offenders have been known to be highly organised, disguising themselves by wearing hi-vis jackets to appear as workers.