A COMMUNITY has been left furious after a former church was ransacked by vandals.

The old St James’ Church, in New Bury, Farnworth, was burgled over the weekend and trashed by the offenders, who have been described as “mindless” and “disrespectful”.

The church, which opened in 1865 and has been closed since 2011, is currently up for sale and nearby residents have been warned to stay away from the building before it can be made safe.

Shocked residents who visited the church last weekend found that windows had been smashed, doors kicked in, and gravestones pushed over, and they are also worried about dirty needles being left on the ground.

Cllr Jean Gillies said: “It is mortifying. I’m appalled that someone would do this to the church that I used to go to.

“I can’t get my head around someone doing something like that.

“I know that the local community want to go in there and clean it up, but it is not really a safe place to go.

“We will be getting the building assessed to make sure that it is safe and there are no needles or anything else hanging around.”

Speaking at Tuesday's Farnworth area forum meeting, Sgt Alex Metcalfe confirmed that police had inspected the site and found no evidence of hard drug use. He also urged the community to stay out of the site until it can be made safe.

One nearby neighbour, who asked not to be named, added: “It is getting really bad around here. This is a lovely church and they are ruining it.

“They smashed the stained glass windows and trashed the place. They have destroyed everything, it’s mindless.

“There are local kids that play in there and there have been a lot of people hanging around the area at night.

“If there are young children around, they won’t understand the dangers of picking up a used needle or other things like that.

“I don’t mind people going in the grounds at all, but seeing them destroy things is just disrespectful.

“A lot of people in this community have grown up around the church, they have been married or christened there.”

A spokesman for the Church of England Diocese of Manchester said: “The building has been secured following a number of break-ins over the weekend. We urge people to keep clear of the site which is not a safe place, and should only be accessed by authorised persons.”