MEMBERS of St John's Church, Accrington, were horrified when vandals ripped a pair of antique lamp-stands out of the wall of the building.
The ornamental lamps have been sited on either side of the entrance to the church, on Addison Street, for more than a century.
But in the space of just three days, both of them were torn out by vandals and dumped on the ground.
It is thought the first lamp was removed between Friday and Saturday and the other was pulled out on Sunday.
Church organist Leonard Cooper said: "These vandals have no respect for church property.
"These lamp-stands could be very valuable and they are very decorative. I am not sure how much it will cost to fix the damage and to put things right."
The Rev Ian Robertson said: "The church was built in 1874 and as far as I know the lamps have been there since then.
"We have had problems in the past with vandals hanging around the church, especially at weekends, but people seem to be afraid to tell anyone about it, that's the trouble."
The incident sparked some fears from church-goers that would-be thieves had tried to steal the lamp-posts.
PC Dave Pearson, community beat manager for Peel, said the police were treating it as a case of vandalism.
He added that letters had been put through doors of residents living near the church in a bid to get witnesses to come forward.
