The highly detailed satellite images provided by Google Earth opened a unique window on the world when it was launched in 2005, one that proved all too enticing for roofer Tom Berge; he used the website to hunt down a fortune in scrap metal on the roofs of historic buildings near his home in London.

Berge, 27, stole lead worth £100,000 from schools, churches, museums and other large buildings during a six-month spree that began in September last year. He used the website to identify the lead roofs by their darker colour. He was sentenced to eight months in prison – suspended for two years – after confessing to more than 30 offences.

"The properties hit included Sutton High School for Girls and the Honeywood museum, Carshalton, where £10,000-worth of lead was removed from the roof of each building," said a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police. "Another building hit was Croydon parish church where the theft of lead from its roof let in the rain and caused extensive damage."

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Sutton magistrates court was told that Berge, of Rosehill, Sutton, would meticulously plan each raid. Last summer, scrap lead was worth about £700 a tonne, although that has since slumped to £350 because of falling demand in the construction industry.

Berge and his accomplices used ladders and abseiling ropes to strip the roofs and took the lead away in a stolen vehicle. But he was stopped by police and later confessed.

Detective Sergeant Chris Grant said Berge's arrest had had a noticeable effect on crime in the area. "He was a prolific offender up until the time he was arrested. Since then, our crime figures for theft of lead have reduced significantly."