A VILLAGE near Devizes has been left devastated by theft of lead from the church roof which means its Remembrance service is now in jeopardy.

Alison Leese churchwarden of All Saints Church, All Cannings got a phone call on Sunday while at a church meeting to tell her the roof had been stripped of lead and water was pouring in.

She said: "The whole village is absolutely devastated by this. Everyone works hard to support the church and when something like this happens it is felt by everyone.

"We have had to lock the doors as the ceiling near the front entrance is not safe. We have already had to cancel one baptism and I am worried that we will not be able to get repairs done in time to make the ceiling safe for the Remembrance service.

"I am doing everything I can working with the architect to try and sort something out but time is against us."

She is also worried that the insurance will not cover the full cost of repairs and extra fundraising events will have to be organised. She expected the costs to run in to tens of thousands of pounds.

For the time being Sunday services are to be held at the village school.

Team rector the Rev Richard Curtis was also upset by the theft. He said: "This is not just a theft of lead from a building but it also an attack on the community and on the heritage of the church as well.

"It is very unsettling for all the community in All Cannings."

He said it was fortunate that the theft was discovered quickly and temporary repairs could be put in place before even more damage was caused by rain getting inside the church.

The attack in All Cannings was one of four involving lead being taken from churches in a period of a few days.

Sgt Pete Foster said: "We have had incidents of lead theft at churches at Pewsey, All Cannings, Baydon and Tidcombe between October 9 and 12.

"Whilst there is no conclusive evidence to say that they are linked, the locations and time frames make it highly likely.

"The investigation is being conducted by our specialist Crime Targeting Team who are making enquiries to try and identify anyone responsible. I would ask people to be vigilant to this type of crime, particularly in more remote areas and report anything suspicious to the police."

He said patrols had been stepped up in rural communities.

Significant water damage was caused at St John's Church, Pewsey after the lead raiders struck sometime between October 9 and 12.

Det Con Cerys Powell said: "The church is a grade 1 listed building and where the lead flashing and guttering has been taken off, a lot of damage has been caused.

"The church is located on a main road, so it is possible that there may be witnesses to the incident, including anyone who was driving in the area overnight."

Witnesses should ring 101.