"Similarly, in any churches where sacramental Confession or other ministries of individual pastoral support, such as healing, are practised, there should be no filming in the part or parts of the church set aside for such purposes," she said.

Church of England churches are encouraged to keep their doors open, with experts advising that such a policy means vandalism is less likely than if the doors are locked.

Ms Ellis, an ecclesiastical law expert who is also married to a Church of England priest, added that the footage should be kept for a maximum of four weeks "because damage and theft in the church, where recordings could be of evidential value, will not always be spotted immediately".

Churches should follow Government guidance which says a CCTV camera's operators must "take into account its effect on individuals and their privacy".

She said the 700-year-old church would not be damaged by the introduction of the cameras as they would be fixed "discreetly" to roof timbers.

A national funding scheme for places of worship was announced in 2016 which allows churches, mosques, gurdwaras and other religious buildings which are vulnerable to hate crime with funding for measures such as CCTV cameras.