A 12th century building has again been targeted by vandals, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Murston Old Church was damaged last weekend, when criminals broke a large section off the wooden door and removed stones from the walls.

This is not the first time the 900-year-old site had been the subject of damage – just a year ago a keystone was smashed and initials were signed on the walls.

Sioux Peto, who helps lead the Murston HeArt Project which works to protect and restore the site off Stadium Way, Sittingbourne, thinks this time it was damaged by two adults using a log and a piece of concrete.

She said: “It’s awful. We’ve spent a lot of time and money on this church and there is always ongoing vandalism.

“You couldn’t do this on your own, you’d need a lot of force.

“But we’ve had lots of offers of help from Facebook, which we’re really grateful for.

“It’s one of the oldest buildings in the area, that’s part of its charm. We are restoring it as it is and it’s only a small minority of people that can ruin a lot of hard work.”

It is thought that after breaking the door, the vandals did not go inside.

The crime on the scheduled monument has been reported to the police and to English Heritage.

The charity has said the door can be restored, as long as the original fixtures are not touched, but it is thought it could cost more than £2,000.

Signs will be installed at the Stadium Way site shortly, telling people about the restoration project.