REPENTANT sinners have returned a haul of £14,000 worth of stolen silver almost five months after taking it from a church.

The precious items were found dumped in a black dustbin liner on the doorstep of St Mary's Church in Acklam, Middlesbrough.

The collection, which includes a solid silver Georgian chalice, silver candlesticks, a silver plated chalice and paten, a lovabo bowl and a silver baptismal shell, were taken in March.

The silver chalice alone was worth about £7,000.

The thieves smashed their way into the church through a heavy oak door, causing £1,000 worth of damage to the 900-year-old church, and found a key to the vestry.

During the overnight raid, the thieves also took a video recorder used by the Sunday School.

Detectives said at the time it appeared the raid had been carefully planned, rather than carried out by children or drug users, and they therefore expected the silver to be melted down and sold.

Canon Simon Wright, who has been using his own household goblets to serve communion wine to his congregation, previously said he would be praying for the thieves.

On Sunday, his prayers were answered when the criminals had a sudden prick of conscience and returned 13 out of the 14 pieces. He arrived to say Mass and noticed the rubbish bag at the doorway.

"I didn't do anything about it at first, because I thought it was just a bag of beer cans," he said. "But as I was leaving we decided to tidy them up and found the silver.

"We never expected to see them again. It is surprising anyone went to the trouble of bringing them back.

"I can understand throwing them away if they failed to sell them, but to bring them back involves some risk to themselves."

He added: "What we can deduce from this experience I am not sure, but I am working on it.

"But, there is more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents."

The only remaining piece still to be returned is a silver communion wafer box. Security at the church has now been tightened up.