A crumbling Pitsea church is to lose yet more of its remains thanks to a vandalism campaign by troublesome youths.

Mobile telephone giant Orange Communications took over St Michael's Church promising to improve reception in the area.

During work to install three telecommunication masts into the church's tower, youngsters went on a destruction campaign.

Work was halted and the company forced back to the drawing board to rethink the design of the site - which was closed down 20 years ago.

Meanwhile, residents living close to the Pitsea Mount church hit out at the company for failing to carry out the work it had promised.

Original plans to restore the area to its former glory seemed forgotten and the conservation work to the remaining tower "a slap-dash effort".

A planning application has now gone into Basildon Council for all those things to be put right.

However, part of that plan is to knock down the rest of the 6ft nave which still stands.The wall has been made unsafe by vandals who have kicked a number of stones out.

A spokesman said: "The vandalism has been very bad on the site. That has forced this application. Orange simply wants to make the site safe which it is not at the moment."

All that will be left of the original church will be the tower - which has been restored against the policies of English Heritage.

New stones have been stuck on top of the tower with black cement holding them together. The conservation work is also to be corrected if permission is granted.

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