Church ransacked by burglars

A church has been ransacked by yobs who went on to steal thousands of pounds worth of equipment.

The intruders broke into the Centrepoint Christian Church, West Bromwich, before setting off fire extinguishers, turning off freezers and taking the equipment.

The break-in happened at around 10pm on Friday, and the church was left in such a mess that the soup kitchen could not be opened for the homeless on Saturday night.

Pastor David Marsh said: "They had set off three fire extinguishers, so there was just this yellow powder everywhere, we had to wear masks to clean it up.

"The powder went into all the food that had been prepared for that evening's soup kitchen. It was all contaminated so had to be thrown away".

The burglars took a computer, an internet router, a Roland electronic drum kit worth £1,500 and a number of stage lights. Some of them were brand new.