BISHOPS Lydeard's parish church has launched a £200,000 appeal after the shock discovery that the whole roof is in danger of collapsing within a couple of years.

Victorian cowboy builders are being blamed for a bodge job which led to rotting timbers and members of the congregation being showered during heavy rain 150 years later.

Builders are already carrying out urgent repairs and St Mary the Virgin Church is closed for most services, though not for the wedding later this month of Somerset cricketer Steffan Jones.

The problem has been caused by roof rafters on the north aisle -- re-built in the 1850s -- which do not match those on the oldmedieval nave, so many are in mid-air and not supportinganything.

The result is scores of rotten rafters and aleaking roof with water pouring through the ceiling and down the walls. As soon as workmen from building firm C.J. Partridge began the 12-week repair project they faced the difficulty of putting up scaffolding on the Grade 1 listed church.

Special lattice-work scaffolding has been used to avoid damaging the building, which originally dates from around 1450.

Full picture story in Friday's County Gazette (September 13).