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A metal thief was uncovered after lead marked with a high-tech liquid was found at his home.

Daniel Ketteringham, 26, from Wisbech, was arrested by police after a member of the public reported seeing him acting suspiciously around All Saints Church in Walsoken. Closer inspection of the church revealed that a quantity of lead had been removed from the roof.

A subsequent search of Ketteringham’s home uncovered lead flashing that had been marked with 'SmartWater', a liquid used to identify any stolen metal. The lead was analysed and identified as coming from a different church entirely, having been registered to St Edmund’s Church in Wisbech, from which it had been stolen three months earlier.

Ketteringham pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced at King's Lynn Magistrates' Court. He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 damages. The lead stolen from All Saints Church is Walsoken is yet to be recovered.