Three men found guilty of stealing church paving stones worth over £100,000 have been sentenced.
Connor Lipinski, Owen Lipinski and Jason Perry were all sentenced at Chester Crown Court, after they stole cherished paving stones from eight churches in the North of England, in the first three months of this year.
Five churches targeted were in the Lancashire area, one in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Astbury.
The men, using stolen vehicles, took the stones and then sold them.
Owen Lipinski received a 15-month sentence which is suspended for two years, Perry received a four-year prison sentence and Connor Lipinski received a three-year prison sentence.
Mr Perry, 49, from Walshaw Street in Oldham, confessed to the conspiracy to steal, driving whilst disqualified and that he handled stolen goods.
Owen Lipinski, 31 from Newark Road in Rochdale pled guilty to the conspiracy to steal stone as did Connor Lipinski, 28, from Gale Court in Rochdale.
Caroline Ross, the senior crown prosecutor expressed that the thefts "had a huge financial and emotional impact on the communities". She added that the "damage was often irreparable".
"These were important buildings, both historically and architecturally. Their importance to their communities cannot be overstated," she said.