THIEVES targeted a historic Didcot church five times in little over a fortnight to strip lead worth more than £6,000 from the vestry roof.

Leaders of All Saints Church said it was not covered fully by its insurance and they were looking at installing CCTV.

Thieves took lead from the roof of the Lydalls Road church on November 25, the night of the town’s Victorian street fair.

They returned on four occasions in just over a fortnight, with the last theft shortly before midnight on Sunday.

Vicar the Rev Karen Beck said: “All Saints Church is one of the oldest buildings in Didcot and parts of the church date back to the 12th century. It is Grade II listed and these thieves are destroying part of the town’s history.

“The insurers are finding it hard to cope and are refusing to cover the full cost, so the rest comes from donations from the congregation.

“The police have been very supportive and disturbed the thieves on the last occasion but the officers didn’t manage to arrest them. We are vulnerable here and the thieves think we’re an easy target.

“But this church belongs to Didcot and they are damaging part of the town’s heritage.”

Ms Beck said the church’s vestry, where the choir gather before a service, was no longer weather-proof.

She said: “Each time this happens volunteers have to make emergency repairs but we won’t be able to fix the damage properly until the spring.”

She said the latest lead thefts followed a similar spate three years ago. Worshippers recently raised £60,000 to repair the foundations of the church’s chancel.

The priceof lead is at a record two year high of around £2,500 per tonne.

Ms Beck said: “We are trying to restore this historic building but at the same time we are having to cope with these thefts. Police officers are working with us to see how we can prevent this – we are considering installing of CCTV.”

Thames Valley Police spokes-man Danny Donovan said: “Police were called just before midnight on Sunday when someone in the church heard footsteps on the roof.

“Officers chased three men but no arrests were made.”

Natalie Merry, secretary to the Oxford Diocesan Advisory Committee, said: “Sadly theft of lead from church roofs is one of the oldest recorded crimes in England and has been up and down since the time it was first recorded. We are disappointed that thieves choose to target our vulnerable, historic parish churches and we will do our best to prevent these thefts.”

Police are appealing for witnesses. Call 08458 505505.