They attempted to pull the conductor which is made of copper away but were unsuccessful in stealing it but did damage it during the incident.

Canon David Smith who has been at St Mary's since 2000 told the Whitby Gazette the theft had saddened him.

"I don't know who the culprits are but if they are from Whitby then what I would say to them is that it's theirs, it's their parish church and I get deeply saddened at this kind of vandalism.

"If they had managed to dislodge stones from the tower they could easily have killed themselves.

"The lightning conductor sits on the highest point of the church and is part of the flagpole on the very top.

"The tower must be more than 100ft high and they have tried to pull it away from its fixings.

"It doesn't bear thinking about what could have happened if they had stolen it and we didn't realise and then lightning did strike the church.

"This kind of vandalism and damage makes me so sad."

Driven by demand in China, the international price of copper and lead has broken all records over recent months with prices for zinc, nickel and aluminium also at their highest since 1996 which has led to an increase in the theft of copper and other metals in all areas of the country.

Theft from roofs, guttering and lightning conductors has been prompted by the rising price of the materials.

It's not just the cost of replacing the materials which is the problem.

Thieves have also torn holes in roofs causing them to leak and ripped stonework away from pinnacles and towers.

They get a fraction of the cost for scrap.

After the incident, which was reported to police, an officer from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue was tasked to check whether the conductor was safe – which it is.

The attempted theft took place overnight between 8 and 9 August.