VANDALS and potential thieves risked serious injury, or possibly death, in a attempt to steal floodlighting from the grounds of a borough church.

As it happens, the electricity supply to the lights that illuminate St Margaret's Church in Stanford-le-Hope are low voltage - but it is possible the would-be thieves did not know that.

Earlier this year Thurrock Nub News reported on the generosity of local couple Peter and Shirley Watson who had paid for and replaced the lights in the churchyard, once more allowing the historic building to be illuminated.

However, Peter has now recently reported: "My wife and I seem to spend a fair bit of our time sorting out problems caused by other people. For the second time since we installed them only three months ago, the spotlights illuminating the church tower have been vandalised by rotating them flat to the ground and then trying to pull the cables from the cable glands.

The illuminated St Margaret's Church.

"This time they succeeded in exposing the cable cores and then trying to cut them with what seems to have been a penknife.

"It is as well for whoever did it that spots run on ultra low voltage. If it had been mains voltage they would likely have ended a permanent resident of the churchyard themselves. The cable they tried to cut was the flying lead from the spotlight housing. If it had been cut it would have had to be replaced."