A THIEF was chased by three musicians after stealing a horn players’ handbag from a church.

Helen Crate, 30, who plays horn with Southend Band, had her black canvas bag stolen from the foyer of Thorpe Bay Methodist Church an hour before she was due to play in a concert.

Three band members chased the thief as he leapt over garden fences to get away. Because Helen’s uniform was locked in her car, she had to play in the concert in the clothes she was wearing.

Ms Crate, 30, of Marguerite Drive, Leigh, said: “If you leave your bag in a nightclub or the High Street, you kind of expect this sort of thing.

“You just don’t expect someone to steal from a church in broad daylight.

Ms Crate said she spotted a man lurking near the church foyer.

When she went to check what he wanted, she saw him walking along Thorpe Bay Broadway, with her bag, which contained £140, a digital camera and car keys, worth a total of £500.

The thief is white, slim in his early 20s, 5ft 11ins tall, with short black hair. He was wearing a white and black check shirt and dark blue jeans.

Anyone with information about the theft, at 6.05pm on Saturday, should call police at Shoebury on 0300 333 4444.