CASH-STRAPPED Selby Abbey is today facing a bill for thousands of pounds after thieves smashed a medieval door and stole valuable equipment from the historic church.

Thieves targeted the Abbey overnight between Sunday and yesterday breaking in through the church's North Door.

They made off with a laptop computer, ransacked the abbey office and stole merchandise from the gift shop.

The break-in comes as a bitter blow to the Abbey, which is raising funds for a multi-million pound restoration.

Abbey bosses are now considering installing a CCTV system and an alarm, to prevent a repeat.

Abbey business manager Brian Porter said: "This is the last thing we want. We work very hard to restore this magnificent building to its former glory and this is a very obvious setback. However, it will not deter us."

Mr Porter discovered the break-in when he arrived at the abbey at 8.30am yesterday. He went to the North Door to find the wood around the lock had been shattered and entry forced.

He said: "I had a cursory look around the building to make sure there was nobody inside then rang the police and the vicar, the Rev Keith Jukes."

The abbey was locked at about 7.30pm on Sunday, following an evening service.

Mr Porter estimated that repairs to the medieval door would cost about £1,000, on top of the cost of replacing the laptop computer and the stolen shop stock. But he acknowledged it could have been worse.

The thieves did not break into the safe, and Mr Porter added: "From a cash point of view, they have pinched very little if anything.

"Experience tells us you do not leave cash out. All our collecting boxes have notices on them saying there is no cash left here overnight.

"But we are talking about £1,000 at least to repair the door, because it will have to be repaired by a medieval-style joiner."

While parts of the abbey are covered by Selby town's CCTV system, the North Door is not.

Mr Porter said: "Perhaps we will now have to consider putting in a CCTV and alarm system. We shall, of course, be reviewing all our security measures with the police and the community safety partnership.

"And of course, all these things cost money and it's money that we will have to raise in addition to all our existing commitments for ongoing life and restoration work. It's another drain on the abbey's scarce resources."

Mr Porter said the abbey suffered regular minor incidents, but said this was the first major break-in for about eight years.

He added: "Once upon time, all churches were left open. You could not do that now."

The abbey was closed yesterday while police investigated the break-in, but was expected to be open again today.

Updated: 10:18 Tuesday, December 06, 2005