Real life Vicar of Dibley becomes target of hate campaign by arsonist who hates women priests

But there has been little of the goodnatured grumbling displayed by parishioners in the BBC's The Vicar of Dibley when a woman priest turned up.

Instead, Mrs Hobson has been the subject of a hate campaign because of her sex - which culminated in an apparent arson attack.

The vicar, 54, took up her post at a 15th century church in the seaside village of Paul, Cornwall, in July 2006.

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For almost a year, she had few problems with her 100-strong congregation. Then she began receiving anonymous letters expressing hatred for women priests.

They were sent to her home, to the church and left in the vestry there.

Police were called in to investigate. And last month, after a particularly frightening letter, Bill Ind, the Bishop of Truro, launched an appeal for information from the pulpit.

Weeks later, a fire was started in the log basket on the porch of Mrs Hobson's £350,000 vicarage, near Newlyn. Someone had left a candle burning in the logs, in what police believe was a symbolic act.

The fire service had to be called to extinguish it.

Mrs Hobson said: "The whole thing started about five months ago. It has been very difficult and the police are now involved."

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The threatening letters "expressed anger at Mrs Hobson for being a female priest", said DC Simon Stone of Penzance Police.

"We are taking them extremely seriously.' According to diocese spokesman Jeremy Dowling, one was left in a private church room where Mrs Hobson found it.

"We do not lock our churches and somebody came in and left a particularly frightening piece of hate mail in a vestry.

"A public announcement was made from the pulpit suggesting that anonymous letters had been received by Yvonne.

"The letters stopped after that but in the past two weeks activities seem to have started again. It is uncertain whether this is personal attack or an attack against women priests in general.

"There are no other incidents of male or female clergy being subjected to this kind of attack in Cornwall, although there have been instances in other parts of the country.

"Sometimes people feel God has deserted them and take it out on the priest."

Trevor Walker, one of Mrs Hobson's parishioners, said: "I spoke to Yvonne and told her I was outraged that anyone could do anything-so cowardly and snide.

"What we are worried about is that when they are caught it will be someone local who we all know.

"I can't image Jesus Christ would subscribe to this kind of thing."

Dawn French played the female vicar Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley.

When she arrived at the rural parish in Oxfordshire, some of her congregation took a goodhumoured exception to her gender.