Security is to be stepped up at a historic park in a bid to thwart criminals stealing high-value metal.

Thieves have systematically stripped lead from the manager’s lodge at Roberts Park, Saltaire, during a spate of thefts stretching back to September last year.

In that time, the park has undergone a £4.5 million refurbishment to return it to its former splendour.

Following the latest metal theft this month, Bradford Council has now said it will improve its CCTV surveillance and increase patrols to deter the thieves.

David Cansfield, Bradford Council’s principal parks and woodlands manager, said: “We are carrying out repairs on the roof of the lodge after a number of thefts, and to combat the problem we are improving the CCTV surveillance and increasing monitoring of the site.”

The theft was the latest in a string of similar crimes across the Bradford district, sparked by the high price of metal which thieves sell to scrap dealers.

Councillor Kevin Warnes (Shipley, Green) hit out at the thieves’ actions, saying Bradford taxpayers had invested millions of pounds to create “one of the best parks in the country”.

He said: “Here we have a wonderful community resource which everyone I have spoken to in Saltaire loves. It is a shame a very small number of people can spoil a community resource which everyone enjoys.”