A vicar has vowed to fight on in his community despite a third devastating attack on his 142-year-old church in eight months.

The Reverend Paul Deo is facing a bill of up to £10,000 after burglars smashed into the church, shattered stained glass windows and left a trail of destruction.

Following the third raid at St Mary's, Laisterdyke, Mr Deo says he is worried that the historic building may now be too expensive to insure. And he says he is even thinking about the possibility of a move to somewhere safer, but he says services and events for community will go on despite the "increasing isolation".

In the latest attack, thieves used sledgehammers to smash their way through the 8ft-high wooden double entrance doors. They forced their way into every room in the church, before taking £1,000 worth of electrical goods and toys used by children's groups.

Mr Deo, who has been vicar at St Mary's for less than three years, said it was the fourth break-in they had suffered in his time there.

Raiders left a £1,000 trail of damage in a burglary last November and they struck again earlier this year, stealing a number of items and leaving a hole in an internal wall.

Mr Deo said: "The big double doors had been smashed in with sledgehammers and had been left hanging open."

The burglars took the casing off an inner door to get into the church, smashed a 2ft square hole in an internal wall to crawl into the main worship area, where they damaged doors and stole speakers.

They then broke down the door to the vestry where they damaged cupboards, overturned a safe and stole CD and tape decks, PlayStations and a TV and video, all used by children's groups.

They then caused further damage as they scoured the church for more goods.

The thieves also smashed two stained glass windows in a failed bid to get into the church.

Mr Deo said: "A joiner has told me it will cost between £2,000 and £2,500 to replace the double doors alone and we will need at least one internal door, which are £400 each, then there is the stained glass. The work itself is likely to cost £5,000 and the value of the goods taken must be £1,000, so the final bill could be in five figures.

"It will be paid for by the ecclesiastical insurers but our last claim was more than the premium, so there could come a point when the insurers review the situation."

The vicar said he was now asking questions about whether there was a better place to worship than the 142-year-old church, which attracts a congregation of up to 60 people each Sunday.

He said: "We are now very isolated and for long periods of time there is nobody in the area. It gets you wondering about moving the building."

But he insisted services and events for youngsters, pensioners and mums and tots at the church would go on.

He added: "We will carry on. A small team of people, including myself, have been down there clearing up as best we can. We have a Thanksgiving blessing for a local baby on Saturday and it will go ahead."

Mr Deo said he would be praying for the culprits, in the context of praying for all the community.

He went on: "I am not disillusioned and it is not hard to forgive. But it is hard to understand why and come up with a good reason why this kind of thing can happen.

"It may be the same group of people who have done it before. You wonder what kind of person would do that without shame."