ARSONISTS broke in to an Oxford church and started a fire on Christmas morning.

The attack on Temple Cowley United Reformed Church in Oxford Road, Cowley was condemned by Church leaders.

The Asian Christian Living Fellowship, which had been due to hold a service in the church at 1pm on Christmas Day, was forced to move the service and a planned lunch planned to the Holy Family Church in Blackbird Leys.

The fire started at 10.40am, destroying two rooms.

The church, which was built in the 1930s, escaped structural damage, but the electricity supply was knocked out by the fire.

Among items destroyed were a large number of documents.

United Reformed Church minister Dick Wolff said: "Nothing of value was destroyed because we don't keep anything of value, no church does.

"But we don't know if the marriage registers have survived. They were kept in a fireproof box but it was pretty much incinerated.

"We have also lost all our records, although most of those are electronic, and minute boxes going back to the 1880s. These are things which have no value except to us.

"The fact it was Christmas Day is puzzling in a way.

"Why choose that day? Were they trying to make a point? You just don't know."

The Rev Richard Chand, who was involved in the fellowship service which had to be moved, said: "I think it's terrible, it must be some really nutty person to do that. I'm just a bit puzzled why anybody would do that kind of thing and on Christmas Day, do they not have anything better to do?

"It is an appalling state of affairs that someone could do this to a religious building, and I hope the person who has done it is found and punished."

A sign was put up outside the church and the organisers contacted as many people as possible to let them know what had happened. About 100 people attended the service at the Holy Family Church.

Mr Wolff said he was unsurprised by what had happened.

He said: "Churches are natural targets, you live with it.

"If it is a church it will get attacked and they frequently are. We had two attacks on our other church. You shrug your shoulders and wonder why people do it.

"There will be people who think that's quite a laugh and they probably thought it was quite amusing."

He thanked an unknown person who raised the alarm, and the Holy Family Church for stepping in to host the Asian Christian Living Fellowship service. He believed services would be able to go on as normal on Sunday.

Oxford police spokesman Toby Shergold said: "Attempted arson is unacceptable at any time. For this to occur at a church on Christmas Day is appalling and we would ask for any witnesses to come forward."

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Matt Booker on 08458 505505.