AS much as £250,000 needs to be raised to repair an historic church's leaky roof.

A decision to replace broken tiles and worn out lead on top of Christ Church in Wanstead was taken after water began to seep through during periods of heavy rain.

The church, which was designed by famous Victorian architect George Gilbert Fox, stands in the middle of Christ Church Green, and is one of Wanstead's best loved landmarks.

The huge cost of the repair work is a result of the 150 year-old building's age and Grade II* listed status.

Canon Robert Springett said the parish could not afford to fund the scheme on its own, and would have to apply to English Heritage for funding.

He said: "We urgently need to deal with the lead in the valleys much of which is worn out.

"We will then look at replacing the tiling in a separate phase.

"Water has been getting in during heavy rainfall, but luckily not onto our new organ which we ensured was well protected when we first installed it.

"Hopefully we'll get a grant to cover a chunk of the work because we certainly can't afford it all ourselves."