Residents in Wivenhoe are counting the cost after "despicable" vandals threw rocks through the window of its chapel.

The damage at the chapel, in the new cemetery between Bellevue Road and Stanley Road in the town, was discovered today (Monday) by the town council's groundsman Mervyn Skeet.

Deputy town clerk Susannah Bradley said they were furious about the damage, which was caused by a large rock being smashed into the two windows repeatedly.

"They are reinforced windows and are about 6ft high so they must have had a few goes at breaking them. It is going to cost approaching a thousand pounds to fix them and it is the people of Wivenhoe who will suffer because of it.

"Whoever did this is despicable," added Mrs Bradley.

The incident is thought to have happened some time over the weekend and people living in Bellevue Road and Stanley Road are being asked to contact police if they saw anything suspicious.

The chapel in the cemetary dates back to the early 1900 and has never been targeted before.

By Lauren Spurgeon

Reporter's e-mail: lauren_spurgeon@thisisessex.co.uk

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