Silver plate is stolen from country church
A silver plate worth thousands of pounds has been stolen by thieves who broke open a safe at a remote country church.
The haul at St Luke's Church, Linch, near Milland, included a chalice which had been presented to the church by the Bishop of Chichester in 1705.
Churchwarden David King said the items were irreplaceable, and were insured for a value of up to 25,000.
The theft was discovered when a member of the church opened it to start preparing for the service of holy communion on Sunday morning.
One of two safes in the vestry had been prised from the wall and forced open.
The other safe, containing church documents, was untouched.
Mr King said: "Twenty items of church silver were taken including chalices, flagons and patens, the plates on which communion wafers are placed."
He said all the items had been photographed and logged, and have been given identifying marks which are invisible to the naked eye.
The Sunday service, attended by about 40 people, went ahead.
"It was quite depressing, and people were at a very low ebb," said Mr King.
West Sussex police are investigating.
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Weather for Bognor
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Light sleet showers
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
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