MANY of the Lancashire churches attacked by arsonists did not have basic security. John Taylor, spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, went straight to the heart of the matter when he said that many did not even have smoke detectors.

He called for "a bit more high tech in the pews."

He is right, of course. In an ideal world churches would not be targets, although there is always an argument for fitting smoke detectors on public safety grounds.

But the reality is that churches are increasingly being targeted and in 12 months there have been 227 attacks across the county.

It is a dreadful state of affairs and the perpetrators are to be condemned. But church ministers and officials must move with the times.

Apart from the public safety issue, there are a lot of historic churches in this area and they need protection. They include architectural gems which are part of our heritage.

Let's hope that the planned emergency talks, which will include fire and police chiefs, will give church ministers the necessary jolt to take positive action.

The real culprits are the mindless yobs.

Sadly, the days of "open doors" are over. Most churches are cash strapped and security is expensive. But the cost of repairing fire-ravaged buildings is far higher.