Bells stolen from 50ft church tower

THIEVES carried three bells 50ft down a church tower near the homes of Princess Anne and the Prince of Wales.

They broke into the village church and climbed three floors to the ringing platform then a steep set of ladders.

They then cut down three 4ft and 5ft tubular brass bells and a bigger conventionally shaped one.

They carried the 19th-century bells down the wooden ladder and spiral staircase and made off from St Peters church in Daylesford, Gloucs, near Anne’s Gatcombe Park and Charles and Camilla’s Highgrove House.

Other royal neighbours are former England rugby captain Mike Tindall and the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips.

Reverend David Salter discovered the theft when he pulled the ropes to ring the bells to find they had gone. He said: “They are beautiful sounding and it is a beautiful church. Although worth little as scrap, it’s difficult to replace them. They are a considerable weight too to get down ladders, down a spiral staircase and out to a vehicle. I suspect that is why they only took the smaller ones.”

The Grade-I listed Cotswold church, designed around 1860, is normally locked and used only a couple of times a month.

The theft was between Wednesday, June 8 and 8am on Sunday, August 7.

Rev Salter added: “I go up there to ring them and the last time I broke one of the ropes.

“So I went up there and repaired the rope, gave it a tug and there was nothing.

“I went up and checked and the bell was gone. I was gutted.”