THIEVES who stole lead roof gullies from homes in Station Road, Long Sutton, were caught by police at Kirton.
Pc Darren Enderby told Long Sutton Parish Council that homeowners targeted by lead thieves are now using plastic where they can to replace stolen gullies.
He said: “It looks exactly the same as lead, it does the same job and it’s got no value whatsoever.”
Pc Enderby told parish councillors on Thursday there were 17 crimes in the village during the previous month – two involving violence, seven thefts, two ‘bilkings’ where people left the BP garage without paying for fuel, a burglary at a garage and five criminal damages.
He said: “The metal thefts seem to have slowed down at the moment.
“Of those five thefts, only one was lead and one was a catalytic convertor.”