Daring thieves dressed as workmen tried to steal £2,500 worth of lead from Chippenham town hall in broad daylight.

They were only foiled when assistant halls manager Phil Freeguard challenged them and they fled.

The attempt is one of a number of lead thefts in the Chippenham area over the past week, and police are now asking for the public’s help to catch the criminals.

During the raid on the town hall, two men, who are believed to have got on to the roof of the building through a flat on top of Boots next door, worked quickly to strip lead from the historic building.

One even wore a high-visibility jacket while stealing the lead just before 4pm last Tuesday.

Adrian Jones, head of service delivery at the town council, said: “They were bold, brave and audacious in their actions.

“Because one was wearing a high-visibility jacket, it seemed as though they were meant to be there, and it was only when a member of staff became suspicious that they were discovered. We are lucky Phil was so vigilant”

Mr Freeguard noticed the pair during the attempt and, after checking with security, realised they were not authorised to be on the roof.

“He called out to them and asked what they were doing,” said Mr Jones.

“It distracted them and they fled, leaving behind a bag containing the lead. They had stripped around £2,500, but didn’t leave with any of it because Phil realised they were not allowed to be there.”

The building, which is home to the town council, was built by Joseph Neeld in 1834 at a cost of approximately £12,000 at a time when William IV was King of Great Britain and Ireland.

Chippenham beat manager PC Rachel Webb said: “This was a bold and brazen theft undertaken in broad daylight.

“With the high value of scrap metal, these cases are unfortunately on the increase. We would therefore encourage the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities of these natures.”

Both of the men are described as being white, the first around 5ft 7ins tall and wearing a white tracksuit top, and the second wearing a high visibility jacket.

Forensic evidence, including the print of a boot, has been taken from the site.

The crime is one of three lead thefts highlighted by police in the last week, as £600-worth was taken from the Audley Arms the same day, and £3,000 worth was stolen from Porters Metal in Christian Malford later in the week.

Wiltshire Police scrapped its specialist metal thefts squad in August. At the time a spokesman said: “The spokesman said: “There is no central team that deals with metal theft – it was disbanded in the last few weeks. It is not a force priority and is now being dealt with at a local level.”