VANDALS broke into St Thomas' Church in Pallister Park, Middlesbrough and removed a statue of Jesus and candlestick holder after smashing two windows at the rear. Both were later found damaged in the church grounds.
A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said: "They scaled a metal fence to get into the grounds and attempted to prise a mesh cover away from a window. When this failed, they went to the back of the church and smashed two windows to climb through."
Police are appealing for witnesses who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously near the church between 3.45pm on Monday and 12.15pm on Wednesday.
About the same time, soft play equipment was stolen from the nearby Pallister Park Centre.
Police received reports on Tuesday that burglars had climbed on to the roof of a storage building and forced open a metal shutter.
Anyone with information can call (01642) 303126 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
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