An altar cross which was stolen from a church on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall 18 months ago has been returned.

The brass cross had been taken from the vestry at St Brueredus Church at St Breward in June 2023 after church warden Jeremy Hooper had placed it along with several other sacred items including Bibles, in a cabinet. However he forgot to lock the cabinet and the cross disappeared. The theft was discovered a week later after another warden, Paddy McShee opened the cabinet and found the cross was missing. None of the other items had been taken.

After an appeal came to nothing, parishioners gave up on ever seeing the cross again. But last month, Mr McShee discovered it propped against the cabinet door when he went to get items for a funeral service. He told BBC Cornwall:

"I tried to open the door and I couldn't. I looked down and lo and behold there was the cross, shoved up against the door.

"Certainly it hadn't been looked after, or (kept) indoors by the look of it, I know it's brass but there was some corrosion on it."

He added: "I couldn't believe it, I was so pleased that it was there I called the vicar... and he came and said 'wow', we were both so pleased to see it again."

The cross is now back in its rightful place on the altar and the church has installed a sealed cabinet with a new lock.