A spate of vandalism has left a Sudbury church facing a substantial repair bill, as trustees seek the public’s help to stop the ‘mindless hooligans’ responsible.
St Gregory’s Church has issued an appeal, in response to multiple instances of criminal damage and anti-social behaviour affecting the Grade I listed building over recent weeks.
Vandals entered the church porch in Gregory Street and smashed the lead-lined windows in multiple places from inside, on the night of Saturday, June 1.
The St Gregory’s parochial church council (PCC) – which operates as the church’s governing body – revealed that this was the latest incident in a sequence of vandalism incidents.
The issues reportedly began last month, when the gates in front of the entrance were intentionally broken open on an unknown date, which has enabled offenders unpermitted access into the porch.
A statement from the PCC said: “There has been a concerning spike in vandalism in the porch of St Gregory’s Church.
“This essentially started some weeks ago, with the wrought iron gates being damaged, and the padlocked chain being cut with chain cutters.
“Unfortunately, no one is sure of the exact date when the chain was cut.
“A blacksmith has been engaged to update the gates, to prevent this happening again, but this is something that St Gregory’s Church has not budgeted for.
“There is still the concern that the updated wrought iron gates will be broken.”
Church trustees confirmed that the damage had been reported to both police and insurers – with the cost of the repairs expected to climb above £1,000.
They have also applied to Sudbury Town Council, requesting grant funding to help pay for the gate repairs, with the outcome of their application expected in September.
With no lockable gate, a group of youths also accessed the porch and lit a barbecue on Sunday, May 26, using McDonald’s takeaway boxes and packaging as combustible material.
A PCC spokesman stated that the fire could ‘easily have got out of control’, had the youths not been discovered by a PCC member, who then reportedly received verbal abuse.
“If members of the public are passing and see these mindless hooligans vandalising St Gregory's Church, they should contact police,” he added.
“Under no circumstances should they challenge the hooligans.
“St Gregory's Church is the ancient mother church of the town – a Grade I listed building which is located within a conservation area.
“The PCC are hoping that members of the public will support us, help to discourage and prevent anti-social behaviour and protect members of the church congregation and other members of the community.”
Anybody with information about the vandalism of the St Gregory’s Church should contact Sudbury Police on 101.
The crime reference number for the damage to the windows inside the church porch on June 1 is 37/30987/24.
