Vicar 'sorry' for person who shattered church door

The doors were designed to open automatically for disabled people, buggy users or people needing assistance

A vicar said they felt "sorry" for whoever smashed into a city centre church, believing it was done to steal money.

Rev Michelle Dalliston said "needless vandalism" at St John's Church in Peterborough on Sunday led to a bespoke automatic glass door being shattered.

Despite the damage, the church has remained open and invited people to contribute, if possible, to support repairs.

"As a Community Support Hub we offer help and support to people in all kinds of need or difficulty, so this needless destruction is really disappointing and causes unnecessary stress and work for our small team," said the vicar.

'Desperate'

Staff and volunteers believed the glass door, installed about 15 years ago, was smashed to try and gain access to steal cash.

However, the church does not keep money overnight, and as such has not reported any items as stolen.

Rev Dalliston said the incident was a sign of "how desperate people are to get money", adding the church would continue to be there for anybody who needed help.

"We are so sad this has happened, causing such pointless and costly damage to this beautiful and historic building," she said.

"We are here to welcome people in to St John's, which has always been at the heart of the life of the city for services and cultural events, concerts and family activities.

"We will continue to be open this week as normal and nothing will deter us from being there for everyone in our city."