Parishioners could be forced to foot part of a £20,000 bill after a wrecking spree saw rocks and headstones hurled through the stained glass windows of a Shropshire church.

Church officials have said some of the stained glass windows at The Church of King Charles the Martyr at Newtown, near Wem, were irreplaceable.

Between 15 and 20 windows were smashed at the Grade II listed church on Thursday night.

Gavin Drake, spokesman for the Diocese of Lichfield, said artwork, which dates back cent- uries, could have been damaged.

“The craftwork that is hundreds of years old and that cannot be replaced. This is the local history being destroyed which is very very sad. Once you destroy history, the history is gone.

“What we have here is something that is very rare and very unusual and something that will cause a great deal of hurt to the people in the community.

“A church is there to serve all the community not just those who go to the church and many of the people who live in the area would have benefited from the church for weddings, baptisms or funerals.

“It is a community building for everybody. Unfortunately the cost of damage for these things will fall on the local church.

“They will have insurance cover but the insurance doesn’t cover the full cost.

“Local parish churches are their own legal entities so they are responsible for the cost of maintaining their churches.

“What their insurance company doesn’t pick up it will fall on the local people.”

Brian Williams, Shropshire County Councillor for the area, said: “I am stunned that a small church like Newtown should be saddled with a huge bill for totally mindless vandalism.”

Sergeant Scott Barnes said a 21-year-old man arrested yesterday was being detained under the Mental Health Act.