Rev David Rowe of Wilford parish church in Nottingham is waiting for police to arrest a number of men whom he found trying to steal lead from the roof of his church.
Wilford parish had been the victim of lead thieves two times before this latest incident and currently needs £60,000 to replace the stolen lead.
When the reverend caught the thieves in the act he was able to recover a number of items from them which should prove valuable in catching the culprits. A coat, an MoT certificate and their car registration number were recovered.
According to the BBC, the police are making inquiries and have said an arrest is expected soon.
Rev Rowe said, "We heard there was some movement on the roof. I was walking my dog and decided to come into the graveyard.
"I disturbed a guy with his car, which I thought was strange at that time of night, and then as I was standing there lead came flying off the roof," reports the BBC.
When disturbed the thieves left in a panic, leaving behind a jacket, a trade card with a name on it and some tools. According to Rowe, the men also left behind a trolley with fingerprints on it and some photos.
Rowe was informed by police that they had visited a suspect's house twice but on each occasion no one had been at home.
Speaking of the cost of replacing the lead, Rowe said, "This will mean a £60,000 bill to replace the lead and we've not got that kind of money, so that's a big problem for us," reports the BBC.
A police spokesperson said, "A number of enquiries are ongoing and police have visited addresses believed to be linked to the offenders.
"Details of suspects wanted in connection with this offence have been circulated across the country and we are hopeful that an arrest will be made soon."
The items recovered from the thieves have been taken for forensic analysis.
