VANDALS have damaged the Tyndale Monument in North Nibley.

The monument is a tower, surrounded by fencing and it has floodlights which light it up at night.

It is believed that the vandals removed the swing gate from the fencing and used it as a 'battering ram' on the locked door at the bottom of the monument on Wednesday, June 17.

Two of the three floodlights were also smashed and several railings broken.

Posting on social media on the same day, North Nibley resident Carolyn Timbrell said: "The monument was the subject of mindless vandalism.

"This mindless act has costs hundreds if not thousands of pounds worth of damage."

A couple who witnessed the incident said that three hooded youths ran in the direction of Wotton when they saw they were being watched, at 5pm.

Residents are now trying to trace the couple who only paused in North Nibley briefly to alert the community to the damage.

A spokeswoman for the trustees of the monument said: "We are particularly appealing to the couple in the red car believed to be a Citroen Berlingo who stopped to advise a villager of this vandalism at approximately 5.15pm on Wednesday, June 17 to come forward in case they can give any further information."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to get in touch with the police by calling 101, with the crime reference number CR/19152/20.

To meet the cost of the repairs, North Nibley villagers have now set up a crowd funding page.

Their target is £4,000, and they have raised £2,865 already.

To make a donation visit: bit.ly/31zmS0y

The monument was built in honour of William Tyndale, a translator of the New Testament.

Constructed in 1866, it is 111 ft (34 m) tall, and is a Grade II listed building.

Prior to the lockdown, it was open to the public 24 hours a day, every day, and visitors could enter and climb to the top and enjoy far reaching views of the River Severn and surrounding landscape.

The trustees of the monument took the decision to lock the monument during lockdown as it was impossible to socially distance on the spiral staircase inside and at the top of the tower.