27 November 2011 Last updated at 05:00 ET

Fears Leicestershire church could 'split in two'

The tower of St Peter's has moved an inch away from the nave in places

A church in north-west Leicestershire is facing a huge repair bill to stop its tower separating from its nave.

A lack of rain during the summer dried out the subsoil at St Peter's in Thornton, causing the building to move.

There is now a one-inch gap between the roof of the church's nave and the wall of the tower.

Unless the church can raise about £5,000 to fix the problem, it is feared the 13th Century building could completely split apart.

It is feared the church could completely split apart

Churchwarden Martin Foster said: "The scaffolding has already cost us £1,000 but we don't know exactly how much the other work is going to cost."

Mr Foster said the church relied on public support and the community would be holding fundraising events in the near future.

If the money cannot be raised the church could be forced to close on safety grounds, the churchwarden said.