A historic abbey has been damaged in a vandalism attack described as the “worst case of heritage crime” a Historic Environment Scotland boss has “seen in a long time”.

The damage to the 13th century pier of Kilwinning Abbey, which supports the arched entrance into what used to be the southwest tower, was discovered earlier this week.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES), which manages the site, said one of the lower courses of the pier had been “completely destroyed”, with the stone still lying at “the scene of the crime”.

To avoid any further damage, a replacement stone will be cut using templates from the neighbouring stones and installed into the void.

Gillian Gardner, physical security senior manager at HES, said: “This is the worst case of heritage crime I have seen in a long time. It is heartbreaking to see historic fabric destroyed in this manner.

“As highlighted in our recent campaign with Crimestoppers and Police Scotland, heritage crime is a serious matter which damages our historic sites and robs us of our history.

“Reckless acts such as this one carry the risk of serious injury to both the perpetrator and anyone else on site.”

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The North Ayrshire abbey was founded sometime between 1162 and 1188 and was the peaceful home of Tironensian monks for around 400 years.

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Ms Gardner added: “Not only is it dangerous, but this kind of vandalism has a knock-on effect on all of our sites, as our conservation specialists are pulled away from their core conservation work on other monuments to tend to these incidents.”

HES said it is working closely with Police Scotland to investigate the incident.

The force was contacted for comment.

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