Worshippers at a Clevedon church are facing a repair bill of thousands after thieves stripped lead from the roof of the 800-year old building.

Raiders climbed on to the roof of the boiler house at St Andrew's and stole lead worth an estimated £5,000.

Although the building is insured, church bosses face paying an excess of about £1,000 to get the roof fixed – all of which will have to come out of church funds.

A tarpaulin has been used as a temporary measure while an assessment is carried out into what repairs are needed.

Vicar for the United Benefice of Clevedon, The Rev Trevor Baillie, said thefts such as this had a real impact on the 130-strong congregation and the wider community.

Rev Baillie said: "Quite a large quantity of lead was stolen from the boiler room roof.

"It seems lead is expensive these days and thieves can make a lot of money from selling it.

"We are discussing our options with the insurance company and are considering repairing the roof with another type of material so it does not become a target for thieves again.

"This is the first time something like this has happened in the 12 years I have worked here.

"Thefts like this have a real impact on the church and the community a large."

The theft comes at the same time that church leaders are trying to raise £250,000 to repair the main roof of the church, parts of which date back to 1190.

The slates on the roof have perished and desperately need replacing.

The church has already raised about £170,000 towards the cost of the repairs and is planning to launch a fund-raising appeal for the rest of the money in November.

Rev Baillie said: "Because the church is on the coast it suffers the effect of the weather and the sea.

"We are already working to raise money for the new roof and will now have to find the money for the insurance excess to repair the damaged part of the building."

The church is at the bottom of Wains Hill and is close to the popular Poet's Walk.

Rev Baillie, 62, added: "We already have security measures in place at the church and we have a regular watch operating.

"The area is a popular spot with walkers and we would urge anyone who sees any suspicious activity in the church grounds to call the police immediately."

Other churches have had lead stolen over the past year, including ones at Barrow Gurney and Flax Bourton.

North Somerset police crime reduction officer, PC Paul Morris, said: "We are working with churches and encouraging them to improve their site security to make it more difficult for thieves to access the roofs.

"The theft of lead from churches has a real impact on village life and often congregations are forced to use money from their limited funds to carry out the repairs.

"We would urge anyone who sees any suspicious activities at churches across North Somerset to contact police immediately."