Upper Arley church: Repairs begin on Grade II-listed building after vandalism

Intruders at the church caused damage and items were taken

Repairs to a historic church vandalised in a suspected hate crime before Christmas have begun.

Intruders at St Peter's Church in Upper Arley, Worcestershire, kicked down a door to the bell tower and urinated next to the altar.

Items including hand bells and money from a collection box were also stolen on 23 December.

Church staff said the community response had been "amazing" and villagers had helped with the clean up.

"They've supported us, they've cleared up, they've cleaned and the church is looking quite spic and span now," Louvain Beer, the church's treasurer, said.

She said people had been getting in touch to try and find the stolen hand bells, but had so far been unsuccessful in tracking them down.

"But what it's shown is that all over this country people are on the lookout for the bells in case they're handed in to scrap dealers or put on eBay or Facebook or anywhere like that," she said.

Damage to the Grade II-listed church, which dates back to the early 14th Century, included a smashed lead window, two broken pews, a broken piano lid as well as a door to a wall safe being torn off.

The door has been replaced and a broken window boarded up however Ms Beer said replacing the donation box will be "an expensive job... because they're purpose built".

West Mercia Police appealed for anyone with information to contact them.

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