POLICE in Whitefield are hunting thieves who stole three ornamental coping stones from the historic churchyard at Christ Church, Ainsworth.

Roy Turner, gardener and warden for the church, which dates back to 1515 said: "The three ornamental stones have been part of the fabric of the church for many years and are quite distinctive because of their pyramid shape. They are approximately 18 inches tall and have substantial weight."

The incident occurred at 8pm on Thursday and police are anxious to trace anyone who witnessed the theft or who know the identities of the offenders.

Police are hunting two white men, one of whom had short dark hair, and the other had short cropped hair. One of the men is believed to have had a moustache.

Detective Inspector Simon Collier from Whitefield CID said: "The stones were taken from the main entrance to the church grounds so it is possible that someone may have witnessed the theft or saw something suspicious in the area last Thursday evening.

"It may be that any witnesses thought that the thieves were engaged in repair work at the church, but this clearly wasn't the case, and I would urge anyone with any information about this incident to contact Whitefield CID on 0161 856 8248 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111."