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In one incident, an historic stained glass window at the Priory was smashed, possibly with a house brick, causing at least £840 damage.

The window, based on a painting by Raphael in the Vatican, was made in 1865 and installed in the Priory later that year.
Church warden Colin Whiteside said: “This is quite a notable window as it is made from valuable glass.”

This was the third case of vandalism at the Priory since September and concern is growing about the number of youths congregating outside.

Mr Whiteside said: “We get lots of trouble in the evenings but this was in the afternoon.

“We’ve now got problems on the south side of the building. Parties are taking place late at night in Vicarage Field.”

Meanwhile, vandals thought to be aged just 10 have caused around £50,000 damage to carriages from the Hogwarts Express train which has appeared in the Harry Potter films.

The vandalism could also put jobs at risk, West Coast Railway bosses said this week.

The youngsters broke into the West Coast Railway depot at the former Steamtown site in Carnforth and used emergency hammers from train carriages to smash toughened glass on the train.

The gang of six youngsters was spotted by nearby residents as they made off.

Patricia Marshall, managing director of West Coast Railway, said: “It will take at least a month to repair, because so much damage was caused.”

The company, which employs around 80-100 people from the Lancaster district, could be forced to lay some workers off if the repair work hinders their progress.

Staff are employed in Carnforth and at other depots in the region to carry out maintenance work on the trains, but they will not be needed if the work is delayed due to the vandalism.

“It all depends how fast the repairs can be carried out,” Mrs Marshall said. “If we can’t meet our contract commitments then we might have to lose some employees.

“This isn’t just material damage we are talking about – it’s long lasting to the company.”

Neighbourhood policing sergeant Martin Pearson said extra patrols were pinpointing known troublespots in the district, including the Priory.

“It is one of the areas that we target, especially at weekends,” he said. “We are aware of the problem of youths and adults drinking there and so we target it on a regular basis.”

Coun Eileen Blamire, chairman of the Lancaster District Community Safety Partnership, said: “This is serious and I am sure that the police will keep an eye on it. I only hope it doesn’t set a precedent for vandalism anywhere else.”

A reward is being offered by West Coast Railway to anyone who can offer any information about the incident on March 10 which might help catch the young criminals.

Anyone who can help should contact the British Transport Police on 0800 555 111.

This should be dealt with seriously and effectively, the cost of the Order Of the Phoenix movie is known to be on tight budget. With this, I just hope that the producers do not have to resort to less of quality work.Even though, if they did they should not be blamed for it; you must work with what you have and i really hope they can pull through these hard times.Juliette CasasI find it sad that children as young as 10 would find it amusing to destroy property, especially something so valuable. They don’t seem to care about the consequences of their actions. I’m 16, and stuff like this makes it harder for us teenagers because this strengthens the stereotype of teens and children causing trouble. These arrogant kids and teens don’t care what this does to other people. I can’t understand why they would do it. As far as I’m concerned, they can be caught and be punished as deemed necessary. But if they aren’t, they’re going to continue. It’s just sad that things have gotten this far.Rachel H. 16 years old. THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot believe the nerve of some kids. I just hope the kids who caused this terrible thing to the beautiful Hogwarts Express are found soon, and when they are they deserve time behind bars and major restrictions. People like them don’t deserve to be welcomed in society.Alyssa. C (Harry Potter Fan)