West Yorkshire second-worst in the country for crimes carried out against churches
Nearly 4,000 crimes were carried out on church property and other religious sites in 2025 - including almost 450 in West Yorkshire
Crimes are committed at churches across the UK 10 times a day on average, data has revealed, with West Yorkshire emerging as a hotspot for the issue.
Nearly 4,000 crimes were carried out on church property and other religious sites in 2025, figures obtained by the Countryside Alliance show, including 3,637 records of theft, burglary, criminal damage, vandalism and assault from January to December 2025, with 172 crimes of different categories.
The campaign organisation has urged the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity in and around churches and places of worship to the police.
The group sent Freedom of Information requests to all of the UK’s 45 police forces, with only 37 of them providing figures, meaning the true number of crimes will likely be even higher.
According to the data, 58 lead and metal thefts were recorded, along with 1,561 other thefts and burglaries, 1,018 incidents of criminal damage, vandalism and arson, and 1,000 cases of violence.
The worst-hit areas were London, with 531 crimes recorded by the Metropolitan Police (and an additional 30 by City of London Police), followed by West Yorkshire (with 445 recorded crimes) and Greater Manchester (with 172 recorded crimes).
In one such example in February, at St Mary and St Martin, Blyth, Nottinghamshire, criminals kicked in a historic stained glass window to break into the church costing thousands of pounds to replace. They also overturned furniture, scrawling graffiti inside the building and damaging the altar cross.
Last year, thieves targeted St Margaret of Antioch Church in Barley, Hertfordshire, stealing £25,000 worth of historic silverware including chalices, a communion flagon and a communion plate.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, said funding available to churches for security and repairs has been reduced.
He said: “Across the country, churches and places of worship continue to suffer, as vandals, thieves and other criminals treat them as easy targets.
“We cannot allow this to continue. Churches and places of worship are focal points for local communities, particularly in rural towns and villages where they play a crucial role in combating isolation. It is vital that the public keep a watchful eye and report any issues to the police.
“At the same time as it appears crime is going up, funding is going down. The Government has this year imposed VAT on church repairs, increasing costs for hard-pressed and vulnerable churches while at the same time refusing to increase funding in line with inflation.”