The thieves who badly damaged the 1,000-year-old St Michael's Church dealt a thoughtless blow to the local community, according to its distraught vicar Brett Gray.

On Tuesday morning the Review revealed the lead roof had been stolen causing two funerals to be rearranged as the church was deemed unusable.

The Reverend Gray told the Review: “Thefts of lead from church roofs are an increasing problem.

“We were dreading it happening here and now it has.

“This is one of the most important historical buildings in St Albans.

“It is not just church goers. A huge number of people in this community have a feeling for this building. The primary school uses it for assemblies.

“Parts of it are over 1,000 years old.

“I don't know how much money they could get for a bit of lead but these people obviously don't realise the impact this has on so many people.

“At the moment the church is unusable

“The school has said we can use their hall but it's limited to 100 adults.”

Rain water leaking through the roof on Tuesday forced him to move the funeral of Edith Thrussell, a parisioner for 58 years who specified in her will she wanted the service in St Michael's, to St Leonard's in Sandridge.

The Reverend Gray said: “Having to tell Edith's family we could not have the funeral in the church was one of the most difficult things I have had to do since I became vicar. They were very upset, as were Desmond's family."

The funeral of Desmond Howlett, a reader at St Michael's for 27 years, was moved to St Albans Abbey on Tuesday afternoon.

The original St Michael's Church, a wooden structure, was built in 948AD but the present building is thought to date to the 11th Century, although it was much restored in the 19th.

The cost of replacing the stolen lead has been estimated at £5,000, but the Reverend Gray fears the thieves did further damage to the roof and the leaks have affected the ancient plaster on the walls of the nave.