A woman is to appear in court after she crashed her car into one of the oldest places of worship in the Medway Towns.

A Ford Focus caused thousands of pounds worth of damage when it crashed into the wall at St Bartholomew’s Chapel and ended up on its roof.

Louise Dray, 23, King Edward Road, Gillingham, was arrested in the early hours on Sunday, April 19.

Police had been called to the area after receiving reports of a collision in High Street, Rochester.

She was charged this week with drink-driving and will appear before Medway magistrates on July 28.

The church, on the corner of Gundulph Road on the border of Rochester and Chatham, dates back 900 years.

It was bought at auction for £46,000 in 2011 by property investor Paul Fernback who spent a large sum restoring it and agreed a deal with a local religious group.

The building is now called Celestial Church of Christ.

The grade II-listed chapel has what is thought to be the oldest stained glass window in the country, which was unaffected by the crash.

It was built in about 1120 as part of St Bartholomew’s Hospital and is the only building from that period still standing in the area.