Almost all Church of England churches are to be protected by an innovative security solution which will give roofs and other vulnerable metals a DNA-type identification.

The security solution, pioneered by Telford-based SmartWater Technology Ltd, is being sent to all churches insured by the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group following a rise in the number of churches being hit by metal thieves.

Ecclesiastical says the situation is at epidemic levels, with more than 1,800 claims this year alone at a cost of nearly £5.8m. In the West Midlands the worst-hit diocese is Lichfield with is ranked 7th out of 44 dioceses across the Church of England for the amount of claims.

Within Lichfield Diocese there have already been 72 claims this year at a cost of just over £200,000, including 15 claims in Stoke-on-Trent totalling £31,000, 14 claims in Walsall amounting to £40,000, and 15 claims in Wolverhampton reaching £56,000.

This marks a two-fold increase on 2006 which saw just 25 claims at a cost of nearly £95k. In 2005 there were only four claims at a cost of nearly £60k.

The rise in the number of thefts has been caused by the dramatic increase in the price of metals on world markets. The SmartWater solution will make it difficult for thieves to dispose of the metals because they can now be traced to individual churches even after the metal has been melted down and reused.

While cheaper metals are available, many heritage buildings such as churches are listed, and bodies such as English Heritage insist that stolen lead is replaced with lead. As a result, several churches being targeted on more than one occasion - with thieves returning to steal the lead when it has been replaced.

The Bishop of Shrewsbury, the Rt Rev Dr Alan Smith, welcomed the SmartWater initiative but insisted this was only part of the answer.

He said: "Churches are community buildings which exist to serve the whole community. While this DNA-style solution will act as a major deterrent we need local communities to keep an eye on our churches. We want people to alert the church if they see what appears to be building work taking place on a church that they aren't expecting."

Ecclesiastical's managing director for UK and Ireland, Steve Wood, said: "The theft of metals from churches has gone on long enough. We're planning to put a stop to it once and for all with a high-tech security measure proven to get results. Churches are important community buildings and beautiful heritage buildings.

"We simply can't stand by while they're attacked in this way. But with SmartWater in use, any thief considering stealing metals from a church in the near future should think twice."

CEO of SmartWater, Phil Cleary, said: "We are pleased that Ecclesiastical has decided to deploy SmartWater as a deterrent to further metal thefts. SmartWater is currently used, in a variety of forms, by 95 per cent of UK police forces.

"The use of SmartWater has to date resulted in over 400 convictions and in many of these instances the cases have not even gone to trial owing to the indisputable nature of the evidence."

SmartWater is a non-hazardous liquid which contains a DNA-style forensic code. Each church will receive its own unique SmartWater code meaning marked items can be irrefutably traced back to the owner, and criminals coming into contact with SmartWater can be linked with the crime scene.

The solution is invisible under normal light, but glows brightly under UV light making it easily identifiable by the police.

The theft of metal from churches has reached epidemic proportions, and historically any stolen metal has been extremely difficult for police to trace.

SmartWater will now provide a forensic link which cannot be removed by the thieves.

Ecclesiastical is helping churches to use SmartWater by marking large sections of lead roofs and other metals, and individual items of property.

The code is also being used in spray systems set up to catch metal thieves as part of co-ordinated covert operations with the police service.

Across the country, Ecclesiastical is working closely with police forces to target scrap dealers in particular and police will be raising the profile of SmartWater among scrap dealers to ensure they refuse to accept lead stolen from church roofs.

Alongside the use of SmartWater, Ecclesiastical has also issued traditional crime prevention advice to help churches deter thieves.

According to Ecclesiastical, churches should:
• Make friends with your neighbours - they're the very best people to keep an eye out.

• Consider anti-climb paint, CCTV, intruder alarms or security lighting if your church is particularly at risk.

• Restrict vehicle access and remove ladders - make the thieves' job harder.

• Where possible, replace with less expensive materials to make sure there's no incentive for the thieves to re-visit