Two jailed after York stone stolen from Lancashire churches
Churches in Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire were also targeted
Two men have been jailed after stealing historic York stone from churches in Lancashire and three other counties.
St Cuthbert's, St Ambrose Church, St Michael Church Aughton and Ormskirk Parish Church were targeted - as were historic buildings in Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
Four of the seven churches are grade-one listed.
The repair bill has come to around ÂŁ125,000.
Jason Perry, 49, from Wallshaw Street, Oldham, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to steal stone, driving whilst disqualified and handling a stolen vehicle.
He's been sentenced to four years behind bars.
Connor Lipinski, 28, from Gale Court, Rochdale, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal stone.
He's been jailed for three years.
A third man - Owen Lipinski, 31, from Gale Court, Rochdale, also pleaded guilty but avoided jail.
He's been given a suspended 15-month sentence.
Officers from Cheshire Constabulary's Rural Crime Team found Perry's vehicle during an investigation into the theft at St Mary's Church.
His vehicle was seen on CCTV at the church - that led officers to find more evidence linking the group to the crimes.
They were arrested during raids in Middleton, Oldham and Rochdale in July.
The investigation found where the stolen stone had been sold, so officers could arrange the return of some stone to three of the seven affected churches.
A supplier of illicit number plates was also found and shut down. Three stolen vehicles have been recovered and returned to their rightful owners.
PC Rob Stordy said:
"By working together with other forces and with the expert help and advice from Historic England, we have brought these men to justice for pillaging our rich history.
"These crimes impacted the heart of our rural communities and left most of the paths impassable due to the damage the men had caused by removing the stones.
"I hope today’s result sends a message to thieves that rural crime is taken extremely seriously. We will do all we can to get justice for our rural residents and keep Cheshire a hostile environment for criminals."
Mark Harrison, Head of Heritage Crime Strategy at Historic England, said:
"The outcome of this case highlights the benefits of collaborative working between the Cheshire Constabulary, Crown Prosecution Service, church communities and Historic England and is an approach we shall continue to use when dealing with the theft of historic stone.
"The theft of stone from historic church buildings is serious organised acquisitive crime.
"Removing large areas of paving from church buildings has not just a serious financial impact on church communities but a significant impact on their morale.
"The stone stolen in this case will have historic and cultural value and its removal can lead to irreparable loss and damage not just to individual communities but to the whole nation, which is why tackling this type of heritage crime is so important."