FIREFIGHTERS had to make safe the cast-iron timepiece of a York city centre church after vandals smashed its glass face.
Council officials are today inspecting spy camera footage that may pinpoint the culprits who damaged the early 19th-century timepiece at St Martin-le-Grand Church in Coney Street.
With shards threatening to fall on unsuspecting shoppers, brigade crews removed a safety cover on one side of the gilded gold leaf clock yesterday.
The early 19th-century clock suffered similar vandalism in 1998. Then damage cost an estimated £1,000 to repair.
Today, the Rev Tony Hodge, Vicar of St Martin's, admitted the church was now facing a similar sized bill.
He said: "We are in touch with the clock-makers about replacing the glass. But we are talking about this costing thousands rather than hundreds of pounds.
"Someone has thrown something at the clock and put a hole right through it.
"I've no idea why people want to do this. It's very disappointing."
He could not predict how long the clock would be out of action.
St Martin's was destroyed during a German air raid in 1942, but the clock survived.
Updated: 14:13 Thursday, February 05, 2004
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