An ancient wall in Kent is being protected by a forensic marking product, ahead of plans to rebuild it by the local parish council.
The wall is made from Kentish Ragstones and was originally built in 1780 with money donated by Lord Jeffery Amherst, a local benefactor. Several valuable stones had already been stolen from the wall, but the remaining ones have now been sprayed with SelectaDNA Trace to protect them from further theft.
Trace is an aerosol that can invisibly mark stonework with thousands of unique microdots that can be traced back to the original site. If thieves are caught in possession of stones that have been marked, police can use a scanner to prove where they have been taken from. Trace is also for use on historic churches and heritage sites to deter stone and metal theft.
Councillor Clive Himsworth said: “We are very keen to preserve as much of the attractive historic stonework in this area as possible. We are hoping that the use of SelectaDNA will deter thieves from stealing any more stones and have erected deterrent warning signage to highlight the fact that the wall is well guarded and should be left alone.” Visit www.SelectaDNA.co.uk.
