Treasured historic records at a Bradford church which was stormed by 50 youths have been handed to professional archivists for safekeeping.

The Reverend Tony Tooby, vicar at St Philip's Church, Girlington, said he was sad to lock them away but felt he had no choice after the church was attacked four months ago.

He added the records were unique and priceless to both the people of Bradford and the district's heritage.

"It isn't because we fear another attack, but we couldn't risk losing them because they can never be replaced," he said

Police are still hunting the attackers of the Girlington Church and today made a new appeal for information.

The gang of Asian youths dragged rubbish into the Anglican church and set it alight last November. They smashed a precious stained glass window from the 1860s, destroyed furniture and ransacked the building. Mr Tooby was racially abused and a window of his car was smashed as he fled.

He said the records were previously kept in a safe in the church where parishioners could ask to see them.

Now hundreds of documents from St Philip's are in boxes stretching six feet along shelves at the Canal Road building.

The district's principal archivist, Andrew George, said it was the first time deposits had been made by a church because of a vandal attack.

He said: "The items are unique. Once they are gone, they are gone for ever. We were happy to help."

The documents dating to the 1890s include registers of baptisms, photographs of church events, Sunday school records, parish magazines and minutes of parochial church council meetings. Mr Tooby, 43, said at the time of the attack last November that he had no intention of leaving the church where he had served for four years.

He said there were a small proportion of people in Muslim and white communities who wanted to destroy things.

Mr Tooby said: "We are sorry about the circumstances in which we have deposited the records to the archives. No-one wants to lock things up, but there was nothing else we could do. There is a great history attached to the church and Girlington was once a very wealthy area. We don't want them to be destroyed."

Mr George said 2,000 people visited Bradford's archives service each year, many wanting to trace their history.

Most of the records in the service are from borough and district councils, families, businesses and trade unions. It holds the records of the Diocese with parish registers going back to 1562.

The service is run by Bradford and the other West Yorkshire councils and people can go into the building to look at the records if they make appointments.

A police spokesman appealed for anyone with information about the attack on St Philip's to contact Bradford North police on Bradford 376059.