VANDALS have used golf balls to break eight panes of glass in a church's stained glass window.

The window of Bushey United Reformed Church, in Bushey High Street, Bushey, is now obscured by the wire mesh protecting it.

A church elder has said the remaining windows could go the same way.

Around a dozen range balls, believed to be from the Bushey Country Club, were thrown through the square window above the church's archway sometime between 8.30pm on Friday, May 24, and 10.30am, Saturday, May 25.

Seven other small panes were broken and next door, Capital Garage, had a ball thrown through one of its windows.

Church elder Mr Robert Wallace said it was not an isolated incident. He said: "They have done it before- about a year ago, but they did not break quite so many windows.

"We will probably end up having to get them all covered.

"Naturally we are fed up with it but it seems to be a sign of the times.

"In the past, an elder was up a ladder when a group of young boys started throwing stones from the adjacent Rose Garden."

The damage is estimated at £100. Mr Wallace, who along with the reverend Peter Grimshaw is a member of the club, said they would be popping over to return the dozen or so balls.

The club's driving range is surrounded by a chain link fence, but it does not meet the ground in places allowing the balls to escape underneath it.

Chief executive Brian Worthington said a groundsman did patrol the area.

He said during normal playing hours in good weather anyone would be seen trying to take the balls because they would need to pass the first tee.

He said: "There is a policing element by the first tee, and we do not have a problem.

"If you see kids down there generally speaking they are picked up pretty quick.

"But we have difficulty in doing something which is outside our premises.

"It just shows you the sort of people we have in our neighbourhood."

A local business owner, who did not wish to be named, said the police knew who the perpetrators were and had spoken to them about the act of vandalism.

A police spokesman however said they had no record of speaking to any youths.

June 7, 2002 12:00