Britain's church crime hotspot REVEALED as new data shows eight crimes committed at churches every day

This means that, on average, at least eight crimes took place at churches every single day over the three-year period.

But this figure could well be higher as 11 out of the UK’s 45 territorial police forces did not provide church crime figures in response to Freedom of Information requests.

St Helen's Ancient Parish Church in Bilton-in-Ainsty, North Yorkshire, experienced significant financial losses after lead was stolen from its roof, which caused huge water damage.

Six items were also stolen from the 12th-century church, including a historic and irreplaceable pewter flask.

Fearing reprisals, a church volunteer spoke anonymously to GB News about the impact of the crimes.

She said: "Financially, it [theft] just brings churches to their knees. It's hard enough now for churches to survive with dwindling congregations and ageing populations.

"Churches don't get any government money. There is no statutory funding which is available and comes into churches.

"So once you get theft, whether it's internal theft from items inside the church or lead from the roof, it's just a big expense.

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"So any theft is hard to both administer and get over, apart from the trauma of losing items that are historically are part of our heritage."

The church crime data was obtained by the Countryside Alliance as part of its continuous campaign to focus attention on rural churches and increase funding for security at places of worship.

Freedom of Information requests were made to all of the UK’s 45 territorial police forces, with 33 of them providing the charity with figures.

They show that there were 9,148 records of theft, burglary, criminal damage, vandalism and assault from January 2022 to December 2024.

There were also 179 lead and metal thefts recorded, along with 3,758 other thefts and burglaries, 3,237 incidents of criminal damage, vandalism and arson, and 1,974 cases of violence.

The worst-hit areas were West Yorkshire, with 1,121 crimes recorded, followed by Kent with 655 recorded crimes and Greater Manchester with 642 recorded crimes.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, Director of External Affairs at the Countryside Alliance, told GB News: "We need everybody to stand together on this, it doesn't matter if you're a person of faith or not.

"These buildings are so important to our country and they form the fabric of rural life and up and down the Great British countryside they are community hubs.

"They are places that glue some really isolated communities together, a bit like our pubs. These are precious parts of our heritage, and we've got to protect them.

"Theft and vandalism from rural religious sites are harder for the police to tackle.

Tim Passmore is the Chair of National Rural Crime Network and Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk. He told GB News: "We are so isolated [in rural areas], very remote, and churches are very often the focal point of communities. The Home Office funding formula really pays scant recognition of the challenges facing rural communities.

"Therefore, we don't have the resources big metropolitan areas have, and because we don't have the cover, I think rural communities and particularly churches are seen as soft pickings for individuals, and I'm sure in some cases, organised crime groups."The country needs to get serious about tackling these people."

At a national level, the Church of England is engaged with the National Police Chiefs Council, Historic England and others over heritage crime.

Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Nolan, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Heritage Crime said: “Stealing from, or damaging any places of worship, historic buildings and cultural sites is abhorrent.

“Churches are important to many communities across the country and these crimes directly impact people who visit, worship and enjoy those spaces. They are attacks on our national and local heritage, and can cause irreplaceable damage.

“We are committed to tackling this issue and our heritage crime officers across the country will continue to work with partners to reduce offending and raise awareness about the long-lasting damage heritage crime can have.

Mark Harrison, Head of Heritage Crime, Historic England, added: “Significant progress has been made tackling heritage crime, but there is more that can be done. With the support of government, the hard work of the police, and the help of the community and volunteers, we can help ensure that the heritage that surrounds us all, lives on and is loved for longer."

The Home Office provided £30,000 of funding to Historic England to undertake analysis of a series of thefts – which have predominantly occurred in rural areas from churches carried out by organised crime groups between 2016-2019, to provide an evidence base for policing on how to best prevent and investigate theft and illicit disposal of metal from historic sites.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “Metal thieves who target churches cause distress and disruption not just to local parish communities, but also to the hard working volunteers who give up their time to support the upkeep of their local church. They should all be able to celebrate Easter without having to worry about being targeted by thieves.

“We know that much of the metal theft in the UK is perpetrated by organised criminal gangs, and much of it is concentrated in rural communities. So it is vital we tackle this problem across the board, from our Regional Organised Crime Units to the new Rural Crime Strategy that we are developing alongside the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

“At every level, we are determined to stamp out this despicable theft and ensure that those responsible pay the price.”

The Church of England say its churches play such a crucial role in providing spiritual, pastoral and practical support to their local communities and helps volunteers.

A spokeswoman added: "A crime committed at a church is a real setback, not just for its congregation, but for all those who benefit from its presence in their community.

"There is guidance for parishes and dioceses on the Church of England website Security and Crime Prevention | The Church of England and we have worked closely with Historic England on national guidance for places of worship on prevention and responding to a crime Theft From Places of Worship | Historic England.

Church insurance specialists Ecclesiastical Insurance say that they are seeing incidents where churches are being targeted, with items such as silver, cash, statues, artwork, furniture and even paving stones being stolen.

A spokesman said: “It’s appalling that thieves would target churches with zero regard for the impact they have. It can be a heartbreaking for the volunteers and congregation who worship at the church – and many of the items stolen are irreplaceable with both historical and sentimental importance.

"As the leading insurer of churches we have developed risk management guidance to help places of worship to protect themselves.

"These steps include storing valuables in a high-quality modern safe in a secure area of the church when they’re not in use and even encouraging neighbours and members of the community to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity."

To help churches keep their doors open, people should report any suspicious activity at religious buildings either online, via 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers, and there are Heritage Watch schemes across the country. Find out more here - http://heritagewatch.co.uk/