A sentimental wooden carving taken by thieves is the latest in a series of thefts at churches in and around Ipswich.
The bespoke figurine of St Margaret holding a lamb was stolen from All Saints & St Margaret’s Church in Chattisham, near Ipswich.
The incident follows a separate theft at St Mary at the Elm Church in Ipswich where several items of silver were taken from its vestry.
The incident took place between 9am on Wednesday, May 24, and 5pm on Thursday, May 25.
The carving is between 50 and 60cm high and was carved from a piece of driftwood elm found on the shore of the River Orwell.
It stood in an alcove on a plinth, which was not taken.
Retiring churchwarden Mark Walters said it is important that the church is open during the daytime for people to access, and the theft of St Margaret feels like a "violation of that philosophy".
He said: "It is quite common to have some artwork depicting the patron saint inside a church.
"The figurine was carved in 1986 from a piece of driftwood elm found on the shore of the River Orwell by a local woodcarver Derek Jarman.
"It might be that whoever took it mistakenly thought the piece was carved by the renowned artist, film maker, costume and stage designer of the same name, who died in 1994, but that was not the case. Derek Jarman who carved it, owned Jarman's Hairdressers in Ipswich.
"It has been in the church since the 1980s and the congregation would be very pleased to get it back."
Police are appealing for witnesses or information after the theft from the Chattisham church.
If anyone has information, images or footage that could help the inquiry, please contact Suffolk Police, quoting crime reference number 37/30732/23.
A spokesman also issued a guideline for security in places of worship, which includes installing a monitored roof alarm and CCTV, locking the building and all the gates at night, as well as using forensic markers to mark valuable items that should be stored securely when not in use.
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