Reckless thieves climbed 200 feet up the tallest church spire in Bradford to steal the lightning conductor.

The raid was the latest in a spate of thefts which has left All Saints Church, in Little Horton, with a large repair bill.

The thieves shinned up a drainpipe to steal lead and other metalwork from the church. The attack caused more than £18,000-worth of damage.

On three recent occasions thieves have climbed up to the 201ft spire, even stealing the lightning conductor.

Now the repair bill for all the damage has come to £18,400, taking its toll on a major refurbishment plan for the spire which already came to £175,000.

But All Saints vicar, the Reverend Stephen Treasure, said despite the disappointment of the thefts the congregation remained optimistic the project would be completed.

“We still have the spirit that we can do it,” he said.

As well as using the drainpipe to climb the tower, thieves have also scaled the scaffolding.

The cost of the thefts now means some of the refurbishment work will have to be put off for a few years and the church will have to put in more funding bids to pay for it.

“The job was always so big we would have to do it in two parts, but this has made it even more so,” said Mr Treasure.

The All Saints congregation raised £5,000 towards the spire project and £111,000 came from English Heritage. Another £20,000 has come from other organisations.

To put off any other would-be-thieves the stolen lead has now been replaced with a fake substitute and the drainpipes have been coated with anti-climb paint.

Remaining lead has been sprayed with ‘smartwater’ and a roof alarm automatically linked to a contact centre is being fitted.