A vicar fears he will have to replace Yorkshire Stone roof tiles with fakes because he says his historic church has become a target for thieves.

The Reverend John Walker, of St Wilfrid's Church, in Towngate, Calverley, said stone costing thousands of pounds has been stolen from the church this year.

In the latest incident, about £2,000 of stone slates was taken from the listed 17th century hall, known as The Barn.

Now the church is considering replacing the whole roof with replica stones.

"About a fifth of the tiles have gone and we're going to have to decide soon whether it's worth our while replacing them," said Mr Walker.

"They must have had a van to take them away as it would have been heavy."

Stones were taken from the church yard during the summer and now all have been replaced with fakes.

"We've become a vulnerable target and in a way there's no point replacing them so someone can come and steal them again," said Mr Walker.

He said the church's insurance premium would also be affected.

Councillor Amanda Carter (Con, Pudsey North) said the village was being stripped of its heritage.

"Once the stone is gone it's very difficult to replace and we have to hope the thieves are found and brought to justice," she said. "It's very sad.

"Stone throughout the village is being taken during the night."

In October the Telegraph & Argus reported how residents in Saltaire were considering marking stone paving slabs after a spate of thefts in the world heritage village.

Thornton, Guiseley and Otley have also been targeted in the past year for stone.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said anyone with information about the incident should ring the Pudsey helpdesk on (0113) 241 4859.