'Trans rights' graffiti will cost £2,000 to clean

The graffiti appeared in the grounds of a stately home in Buckinghamshire

The cost to repair an almost 300-year-old mausoleum which was graffitied with the words "trans rights" is expected to be more than £2,000.

The message was sprayed on the side of Dashwood Mausoleum near West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

James Parker, the West Wycombe Estate land agent, said the Dashwood family would bear the cost of the cleaning and restoration work, which has yet to be completed.

He said: "This site holds deep personal and historical significance not only to the estate, but to others with loved ones buried nearby. Many feel this as a personal violation of a sacred space."

The mausoleum is near to West Wycombe Park, which was built as a retreat for Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd Baronet, in the mid-18th Century

The mausoleum was built on the site of an iron age fort on West Wycombe Hill in 1765 to house the ashes of the Dashwood family.

Mr Parker said: "This mausoleum is not only a place of rest for the Dashwood family ancestors, but a part of our shared heritage and local community.

"While we support everyone's right to free expression and peaceful protest, damaging sacred and historic spaces cannot be justified under any circumstances."

Independent member at Buckinghamshire Council, Orsolya Hayday, said she was saddened by the incident.

"Whilst I understand the important issue of minority rights, as everybody should have the same rights, but vandalising this family mausoleum in a popular beauty spot is definitely not the right way to go about it," she said.

"I wish they could have found another way to promote their cause without causing damage."