A vicar left with a £10,000 bill after the third burglary at his church in eight months today praised locals who have rallied round with help.

One mystery woman turned up at the vicarage with a video recorder and a carrier bag full of tapes to replace those stolen in the raid at St Mary's, Laister-dyke.

Another parishioner insisted on making a donation to church funds, and calls from people offering support - including one from another vicar volunteering to help clear up the mess left by the burglars - have flooded into the vicarage.

The Reverend Paul Deo, vicar of St Mary's, said the response of local people showed that community spirit was far from dead.

"I am reassured that the vast majority of people of our great city are compassionate, caring folk," he said. "It's always good to remember that for every bit of bad we see in the world there are hundreds and thousands of people in our communities who are feeling the opposite."

The church, in an isolated spot in Paw-son Street, was attacked on Wednesday night. The culprits broke down the wooden entrance doors with sledgehammers after a failed bid to get in by smashing stained glass windows.

They then ransacked every room, leaving a trail of damage, including holes in walls and broken doors, before making off with speakers, electrical equipment and games and toys used by youngsters from the church's Primetime children's group.

Mr Deo estimates the cost of repairing the damage and replacing the stolen goods could reach £10,000. He is questioning whether the church should move to a location in the heart of the community.

But Mr Deo told how he arrived at the vicarage on Thursday night to find a woman with a video recorder and a bag of tapes.

He said: "She said she wanted us to have them. I offered to pay her something for them but she insisted she didn't want anything.

"She wouldn't say who she was or where she lived. She didn't want any credit. She just wanted to offer some sort of support in a practical way."

The church is carrying on its activities as normally as it can with the blessing of a local baby tomorrow and a special communion service on Sunday morning.

Mr Deo said: "At the service we will be able to unpack our sorrows and joys - sorrow at being broken into and joy at the sense of community support."