WORKSOP: £30,000 damages caused to church

Father Nicolas Spicer at Priory Church, Worksop were theives broke into the boiler room and stole fixtures and fittings

The damage was discovered at the church in Cheapside on Friday 12th July, the day before the church’s annual fete.

Thieves broke into the church’s boiler room and stole copper piping and other various electrical items.

Father Nick Spicer said: “I came in on Friday morning and discovered somebody had broken into the boiler room.”

“Everything had been removed.”

Father Spicer explained that there has been around £30,000 worth of damage caused to the church and he said that anything that hadn’t been stolen had been damaged.

The equipment stolen from the church included equipment that had only been installed in March this year and will now all have to be replaced.

Father Spicer said: “Luckily at this time of the year we don’t need heating at the moment. It would be a different story if this had happened in November.”

“And no one was hurt. We are making an insurance claim but they don’t cover what it will cost to repair the damage.”

Further damage was caused as water pipes burst throughout the church.

Despite this, the annual fete still went along as planned but Father Spicer described the atmosphere as strange.

He said: “Myself and the church wardens were walking around the fete in wellington boots as there was up to six percentages of water in some places.”

Father Spicer said the feeling of the congregation was concern that people would do this to the community.

He said: ““People were obviously dispirited.”

“The police have said that whoever did this knew what they were doing and they used professional equipment because otherwise they would have electrocuted themselves. They spent a long time on it. This was planned.”

The fete raised around £1,300 which goes towards the day to day running of the church.

Father Spicer said: “This is very good and encouraging. People were out for the day on Saturday so that amount is very generous.”

Nottinghamshire Police said the break in happened sometime between Monday 8th July and Friday 12th July.

Anyone who may have seen anything or has any information should contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.