One of the most famous churches in the county could have closed-circuit TV installed inside after a knife-wielding man attempted to rob a woman there.

Haworth Parish Church could be among the first in the area to use CCTV for security purposes, a spokesman for Bradford diocese said today.

Plucky grandmother Catherine McGinty, 50, of Allerton, tackled the thief in the doorway of the church after he snatched her rucksack from a pew.

He pulled out a knife, but Mrs McGinty continued to haul at her bag until he let go, bursting out of the door and fleeing across the graveyard on Saturday afternoon.

Haworth Church is visited by thousands of tourists every year on a pilgrimage to the home of the famous Bronte family.

The Rector of Haworth, the Reverend Paul Slater, said he was shocked by the incident, which had been the only serious attack in the church since he took over five years ago.

"We have looked into the possibility of fitting closed circuit television in the past but given this incident I will be bringing it up again at the Parochial Church Council.

"CCTV does pose a question about people's civil liberty, but if it makes people feel safer in church then it is worth doing."

Jens Hislop, a member of Haworth Parochial Church Council, said it was seriously considering fitting CCTV and the issue would be discussed at a meeting on April 4.

He had already sought advice and information from an electrical company about the equipment, its fitting and costs and the results would be related to members at the meeting.

"This incident is very upsetting. A church is a place of worship and sanctuary - but not in this case, it seems."

A spokesman for Bradford diocese said decisions whether to install closed circuit television were the responsibility of individual church councils.

He was unaware of any churches with CCTV especially for security although some parishes used cameras to relay the service to other parts of the building.

"We have had a number of sessions relating to various aspects of security where helpful advice has been given by police and insurers, including advice about closed circuit TV," he said.

Mr Slater said there had been minor pilfering in the past.

"It is important the church remains open not just because people want to visit the place where most of the Brontes are buried, but because many people come here to pray. In the summer we get several hundred requests on the prayer tree.

"The material losses we suffer are relatively small and I believe it is a reasonable price to pay to keep the church open," added Mr Slater, who plans to contact Mrs McGinty to reassure her of his concern.

The robber struck at 3.15pm on Saturday as Mrs McGinty spent a quiet 15 minutes in the church while she waited for a bus to take her home after visiting her daughter. He is described as white, in his early 20s, 5ft 6ins tall with a slim, boyish figure, long dark hair swept back, stubble on his chin and dark eyes.

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