Lisburn church suffers third break in this year

The city centre church had their glass door smashed by an intruder during the early hours of Monday morning and a small sum of money was stolen.

Mary Agnew from Kingdom Life City Church said she believes the lack of adequate lighting in the area is a major contributing factor resulting in criminal activity.

"We think we were targeted because this is the darkest part of the town" she said. "This is a forgotten spot in the middle of the city where there is no street lighting and there are a lot of hidden corners. You never know who is around.

"We have so many glass windows that we've had fitted with toughened glass but there are still break-ins. We are a small organisation and we simply don't have the finances to install shutters.

"It really takes the heart and soul out of what we are trying to do here," she added.

The break-in at Kingdom Life City Church took place on the same night as a break-in at travel agents on Antrim Street.

Police are appealing to anyone who has information in relation to these incidents to contact them on 0845 600 8000. Information about crime can also be passed anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

A 30 year old man appeared in court on Tuesday (August 10) charged in connection with the Antrim Street incident.