The Know Daily - Wednesday 13 March 2024

_{Read in 5m 16s ∙ Listening to Daphni ∙}

A not-for-profit restaurant in Gloucestershire is offering diners a unique “pay as you can” system to ensure that anyone can enjoy a tasty meal, regardless of their financial situation. Over the past year, The Long Table in Stroud has served nearly 20,000 people at below-cost price - and often for free - rescuing around 3.4 tonnes of food otherwise “destined for the bin” at the same time. 

🏰 Vandalism at historic sites

Vandalism is on the rise at historic sites across England, according to a report published today.

What did the report find?
The report by Historic England and the National Police Chiefs' Council highlighted a “diverse” number of incidents, looking at the period between February 2020 and February 2023. These included the theft of stone slabs from a 200-year-old bridge in Yorkshire, graffiti on historic city walls in Chester and “high value burglaries” targeting cultural objects.

Commenting on the report’s findings, Historic England chief executive Duncan Wilson said such incidents "rob us all of our collective past".
 
What’s behind these incidents?
The report identified the cost of living crisis as a contributing factor. Thefts of historic materials such as lead from church roofs increased by 41% during Covid lockdowns, carried out by both “opportunistic offenders” and organised crime groups, reported BBC News.

According to the report, such incidents are likely to increase as inflation “continues to impact on the price of commodities”.

What does the report recommend?
Historic England has called on police forces to introduce “appropriate police systems” for tracking heritage crime. A spokesperson told The Guardian that the report’s findings would help them to develop “the new tactics and technologies” needed to prevent such incidents in the future.