AN OSWESTRY church is trying to protect its building after reports of vandalism and ‘unacceptable behaviour’ by introducing new opening hours.

St Oswald's Parish Church, in Church Street, has reduced its opening hours, from 10am until 5pm, to 10am until 3pm, from Monday until Saturday. 

On Sundays the church will remain open for public service.

In a Facebook post, a spokesperson from the church said: “Sorry for making this sad announcement during the summer holiday when many people want to visit our beautiful church and desire to have some quiet time.

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“Due to vandalism and unacceptable behaviours, we must change our opening times to the public.

“Sorry for making this disappointing announcement but immediate action must be taken to protect our historical treasure of Oswestry.”

Under the post a lot of people shared their frustration and thought it was ‘deplorable’ and ‘dreadful’.

In a comment, Reverend Yin-An Chen, curate at St Oswald's, added: “The purpose of the post is not to upset you or accuse anyone of these behaviours – but to simply raise our awareness of the needs and care in our neighbourhood.

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“What we need to do is to be together and look after each other, rather than be divided to blame others for this.

“I hope the message is a calling for all of us to look after the town, the buildings, the shops and those whom we love.”

They explained that if people just walked into the building for a bit, it would go a long way as the building being surrounded by people would help them keep some ‘naughty’ people out.

St Oswald's Parish Church is one of the oldest buildings in Oswestry with the tower believed to be around 1,000 years old.