A BUNGLING thief who was caught red-handed by parishioners camped out in their church following a spate of lead thefts has been jailed for two years.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard how the Rev Chris Colledge and Norman Decent from Neighbourhood Watch had sought justice after St Stephen’s in Bournemouth was repeatedly targeted by lead thieves, costing more than £200,000.

And their determination paid off in the early hours of May 11 when they caught Andrew Miller in the act. The Rev Colledge alerted police after spotting Miller shimmying up a drain pipe to reach the church’s south aisle roof.

Officers and a sniffer dog arrived along with firefighters who used a cherry picker to lower Miller from the roof of the Grade I listed church, described as one of John Loughbor-ough Pearson’s finest buildings.

Miller, 36, from Wimborne Road, Kinson, Bournemouth admitted stealing a quantity of lead from St Stephen’s and a similar charge relating to All Saint’s Church in South-bourne on March 1 this year, involving lead worth £9,250.

The court heard how residents living near All Saint’s had raised the alarm after hearing late-night noises coming from the church.

Miller was still on the roof of the building when officers arrived. He was arrested but released on bail to continue his crime spree.

In Miller’s defence, the court heard that he was a drug addict who had stolen lead to fund his habit.

Speaking after the case, Det Sgt Mark Jenkins said: “Lead theft is a major problem for many churches and I hope this sentence acts as a deterrent to others.

“We are working very closely with scrap yards and the recycling industry.”

He added: “I urge anyone who sees suspicious activity in the vicinity of a church to contact us immediately.” The Rev Colledge, who is chairman of the West Cliff Green Residents’ Association, told the Daily Echo: “I alerted the police beforehand so they were aware of what we were doing.

“At about 1.40am we saw a man crouching down by a wall adjacent to the church. I felt this was the only course of action – to try and catch the people that cause so much grief and sorrow to our church.”

Parish churchwarden Adrian Scott said: “Hopefully this may send a message to others that we are watching them.”