A synagogue has had to employ security guards after its CCTV cable was cut and excrement was smeared over its doors.

Those running Chatham Memorial Synagogue have also decided to put in place extra security measures in response to global attacks on the Jewish community.

The building in Rochester High Street was the target of incidents in 2019 which involved headstones being knocked over.

Dalia Halpern-Matthews, a trustee of Chatham Memorial Synagogue said: "We've actually had four separate incidents of vandalism in our cemetery.

"We've also had lead stolen several times from the roof, we've had graffiti on the front doors of the building.

"Recently, we've had the wires cut from one of our CCTV cameras. It's been quite a lot of damage."

A Freedom of Information request revealed 78 reports of criminal damage and arson at religious buildings were reported to Kent Police last year.

This was the most-reported crime at buildings including churches, cathedrals, mosques, temples, and synagogues.

However, the number of such crimes across all religious buildings has seen on a year-on-year decrease since 2017.

The overall number of incidents at religious buildings fell by 24% between 2020 and 2021.

Other crimes recorded last year at places of worship include: violence against the person (31), theft (27), burglary (19), sexual offences (11), and public order offences (10).

Mrs Halpern-Matthews added how global events had made those running the synagogue plan for the worst.

She said: "We've actually had to put some additional security measures in place.

"We are trying to fundraise to increase that security more, and we actually have to have a security guard there at certain times when we have services for the safety of our congregation.

"We've had to do all sorts of safety and emergency plans, particularly with it being a Jewish building and when you consider some of the sort of marauder type attacks that have happened around the world in synagogues.

"Some of the congregation are understandably nervous, and so that's why we have the security guards because people are scared.

"Jewish communities in most synagogues are more aware now than they ever were of the kind of international incidents there have been with gunmen and knifemen breaking into synagogues and attacking members of the congregation during services."

"Some of the congregation are understandably nervous, and so that's why we have the security guards because people are scared..."

Last month, there was a hostage taking incident in a synagogue in Texas which made headlines across the world and saw police in an 11 hour stand-off.

Kent Police statistics show since 2016, there have been 21 crimes reported from the county's synagogues.

The statistics shows last year, 159 crimes occurred at churches; 71 of these were arson and criminal damage.

There were 23 incidents of theft at churches last year, the second-most common crime at this type of building.