A thief steals the brass eagle from the church pulpit in Birmingham

An eager thief has been seen on CCTV stealing a 156-year-old brass eagle from a church lectern.

The footage shows a man wearing a green hooded jacket walking down the aisle of an empty church as he makes his way to the pulpit.

The thief approached the brass pulpit of St Augustine’s Church in Edgbaston, Birmingham, before removing a brass eagle from its column.

The suspect then covers her with a blanket before taking her out of the church.

It is understood that the pulpit was given to the church in 1868, the year it opened.

rev. Matthew Tomlinson said he was “disturbed” by the theft of the eagle on Monday.

He believes the theft was planned because the thief walked straight to the desk and was wearing a blanket to hide it.

Mr Tomlinson said he had been vicar at the church for 24 years and was “proud to have the church open every day”. He said nothing significant had been stolen.