THOUSANDS of pounds of damage was caused to one of the region's oldest churches by thieves who attempted to make off with lead from the roof.

Thieves who targeted the historic St Mary's Church, in Staindrop, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, ripped large sheets of lead from the roof but were thwarted in their attempts to make off with their haul.

Several people were believed to have been involved in the attack on church, which was founded in 771, in the early hours of this morning.

Two Land Rovers were seen in the church grounds by a group of local farmers heading home after a night out.

They became suspicious and called the police.

Officers arrived at the scene within minutes but the vehicles had gone. The lead was left piled against the church walls. It was too heavy to remove but checks were kept on it throughout the night.

Assessors are expected to check the building today to see how much damage has been caused but it is believed to be around £10,000.

Inspector Kevin Tuck said the rising price of scrap metal has made buildings such as church easy targets.

He said: "Churches are important in rural communities and in cases like this thieves are stealing our heritage. There is no doubt this attack has upset many people and the repair bill will probably be considerable.

"We need community help to prevent and detect such crimes. We were fortunate the farmers were public spirited enough to ring in with their concerns.

"I'm certain their actions prevented the theft of the lead."

Insp Tuck urged the public to act as the eyes and ears of the police and report any suspicious activity be it through the day or night.

"The police would rather check out 100 reports than find a building stripped like this," he said.

Earlier this week thieves stole £3,000 worth of lead from Barningham Hall estate near Barnard Castle.

Anyone with information is asked to call Durham police on 0845-6060365.