THIEVES climbed a tower to steal a church bell thought to be at least 500 years old.

The theft from St Michael and All Angels Church, in Downholme, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, was spotted when the bell ringer went to summon the flock for Sunday service.

The bell, which was one of a pair, is believed to date from the 16th Century or possibly earlier.

The original church was built in 1180, but the church tower, which is about 30ft high, was added later.

Canon Richard Cooper, the rector of Richmond with Hudswell, Downholme and Marske, was about to give a service last Sunday when the theft was discovered.

He said: "The church warden went to ring the bell to summon the faithful. He came back and said 'we've got a problem, the bell rope has gone'.

"Five minutes later he came back and said, 'We've got a bigger problem - the bell's gone'."

Canon Cooper said the bell was made from specialist bell metal and would have weighed at least 50kg.

It is believed the thieves climbed the church tower and lowered the bell down by rope.

"The thing is you can't melt them down - it's more likely it was probably stolen to order," Canon Cooper said.

"The thieves certainly tidied up after themselves. They smashed part of a gravestone, probably while swinging the bell down, but they cleared the broken stone away, so, unless you actually looked up at the bell, you couldn't tell that anything was wrong.

"The church isn't overlooked and I guess that if anyone had seen men in overalls up a ladder they would assume they had a right to be there."

The church leader said any replacement bell would not have the same historic value.

Richmond police are investigating the theft.

A spokesman said the incident happened some time between August 1 and 26.

The incident follows a spate of thefts of lead from churches in the area.

Canon Cooper said local clergy had been warned to keep an eye open for anything suspicious.

Anyone with information on the theft is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 0845-60-60-247.