Criminal damage at St Francis Xavier Church, Hereford

St Francis Xavier Church opens its Broad Street doors so that people can come in at any time of the day and have some quiet time, pray or light a candle. 

However, a group took advantage on Sunday, October 15 and caused criminal damage.

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"They were messing around and playing with the microphone and throwing lit candles around the room," said Father Brendan Thomas. 

"They were being a bit reckless and youthful. It is disturbing because churches are a sacred place for many people. 

"If people desecrate it then it is wrong and disrespectful."

St Francis Xavier Church was temporarily closed (Image: Submitted)

Father Thomas added that security will be tightened as a result of the incident.

"It's the first time it has happened since I have been here," he said.

"We don't want to close it because so many people use the church. We've had people saying they didn't realise the church was here.

"It's a treasure for Hereford and we want to keep it open for people to use. We did close the doors for a while but we still held services. It is open now."

West Mercia Police confirmed that officers responded to reports of criminal damage at the church at around 3.50pm on Sunday, October 15 and enquiries and ongoing.