CARETAKERS at a church in Hubberston are appealing for locals to be vigilant after damage to the roof of the building.

The porch roof of St David’s Church in Hubberston was badly damaged over the weekend, with many of the slates having been broken.

“We were shocked on Monday to discover that the roof of the porch of our Church had been virtually destroyed by stone throwing vandals,” said Chris Croxford who is responsible for maintenance at the church.

“About three weeks ago a slate on the same roof had been holed by a missile and that we managed to patch, that was bad enough, but this latest damage defies reason,” he added.

Fire have also been lit in the churchyard close to the church recently and the community which uses the building for worship is now concerned for its safety.

“Through a lot of hard work we have raised the funds to have the church totally re-slated and that work is due to start at the end of June,” said Chris.

“If vandalism is on the increase in this location we fear for the safety of the new roof,” he added.

The vandalism has been reported to Dyfed-Powys Police.

A spokesman for the police said: “Sometime overnight Sunday, May 26, and Monday, May 27, damage has been caused to the roof of St David’s Church, Hubberston, Milford Haven.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101.”

St David’s Church is a Norman-era building by origin and has been place of worship since 1100AD.

According to the church’s website, on two occasions over the winter slates were lost during stormy weather.

To preserve the integrity of the structure the church estimated it needed to raise approximately £75,000, to remove approximately 95 per cent of the slates, remove and replace the lead flashing, felt and batten and re-slate using as many of the existing slates as possible.