A RAWDON church has been stripped of thousands of pounds worth of paving slabs.

Determined thieves wrenched 70 square metres of stone from pathways at Trinity and All Saints Church, New Road Side, sometime overnight on Monday.

The theft was discovered first thing on Tuesday morning.

The vicar, the Rev Marcus Bull, who was away at the time at a conference, said he was dismayed by the theft.

He said there had been an attempt to get the stone, which was between the church and the old hall and was set in concrete, before.

"It is a big expense to replace it and I don't even know whether our insurance will cover it.

"It is just horrendous. The same thing has happened at the Quaker Meeting House, they're just going for this old stone," said Mr Bull.

The theft comes just more than a week after stone was taken from the 1,000 year old Weston Church near Otley.

Thieves have also struck at listed Hawksworth Hall and stripped roof tiles from Farnley CoE Primary School.

Peter Krushniak, neighbourhood watch liaison officer at Weetwood Pudsey Police Station, urged people to report anyone they saw acting suspiciously even if they looked like bona fide workmen.

l anyone with any information about the thefts should contact Crime Stoppers on (0800) 555111.