Vandals have struck at a parish church for the second time this year, damaging a stained glass window that had been repaired following an earlier attack.

The newly repaired 109-year-old stained glass window and one next to it were attacked at St Peter and St Paul's Church, Wantage.

It is the second time this year that the window has been extensively damaged. On the night of Easter day vandals struck. It cost £4,000 to repair the window and now the church faces another hefty repair bill.

The vicar Father John Slater said: "Clearly the cost is of great concern to us but more important is the fact that a piece of our history is being destroyed by someone in our town and this is not acceptable. I appeal for any information or the name of the perpetrator of this crime to be given to the police or church authorities as soon as possible."

The window targeted by the vandals dates back to 1898 when it was installed to the memory of Phillip Gibbons, of Brooklands, who died on January 13 1896, by his family. The four-panelled window depicts the Annunciation and was created by Clayton and Bell.