A large amount of heating oil was spilled during a theft last month. (CBC)An environmental cleanup is underway at St. Luke's Anglican Church at O'Leary Corner in western P.E.I. after thieves made a mess while stealing heating oil from the tank outside the church.
The theft occurred last month. Thieves unhooked a line to empty the tank and oil spilled into the ground. The cleanup is expected to take several more weeks and is costing thousands of dollars. The church has insurance to cover the cleanup, but still has to pay a deductible.
"I was devastated. It's difficult times, especially in small parishes, and we don't have a lot of funds and to think that someone would come and steal from a church, it's hard to swallow," church warden Rosalie Webb told CBC News on Wednesday.
Webb said the church will consider switching to another heat source, or at least moving the oil tank to a spot where it's more visible.
RCMP said there have been a number of oil thefts this year, and anyone with a tank outside should have a lock on it.
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