‘I feel a bit daft’ customer was first to notice Birkhill Inn roof lead theft

Staff at a Dundee restaurant were “totally unaware” lead had been stolen from their roof until a customer told them.

Manager of the Birkhill Inn, Callum Whiting, didn’t notice 10 metres of missing lead which was stolen from a low section of the restaurant’s roof until Sunday afternoon.

A customer driving to the eatery notified him at 3pm on Sunday.

Mr Whiting said: “We opened up on the Sunday and didn’t take any notice.

“It was only when a member of the public phoned up to ask me what had happened to the roof.”

Bar manager Jim Anderson, who lives above the pub, said: “I feel a bit daft. I locked up at half past 12 on Saturday night and then went straight to my flat.

“It was a bit of a surprise when the customer told us on the Sunday, well into the afternoon.

“I went outside and, right enough, the roof had been damaged.”

Mr Whiting revealed the establishment is considering refurbishing the roof and removing the rest of the lead to prevent a repeat of the incident.