Church goers in Denbigh were dismayed after thieves tried to break into St Thomas Presbyterian Church twice in the past two weeks.

On both occasions they were unable to gain access to the Vale St church, but caused damage to a door panel.

Mr Richard Lake, an elder of the church confirmed the attempted break ins and stated they took place on Friday and Wednesday 10 January and have been reported to the police. He said: "It is very sad that thieves should target the church, I don't know why they would want to do that.

"So far temporary repairs have been made to the door and it will be fully repaired in the near future. We are also putting further security measures in place.

"Members of the congregation have expressed their concern to me and cannot understand why anyone would want to try and break in to a church, particularly as we are very active in the community and do what we can for it.

"We have no idea who it might have been, but it is very distressing. We are grateful that they were unable to get into the church, and that the damage was limited to the door. Even if they had managed to gain entry they wouldn't have found any items of value."

The church dates from the late 1870s, and is built in the Victorian Gothic style.in Denbigh and attracts people with a wide range of Christian backgrounds: Methodists, Baptists, Anglicans and others.

A North Wales Police spokesman said: "A crime scene investigator has attended the site, and we would like to ask anyone who may have seen anything suspicious or who has information should call the police on 101. Crime reference W002646."