The Welsh castle being used by ITV as the site of I’m A Celebrity this year has been damaged, just hours before it was due to be handed over to the show, the venue has said.

Gwrych Castle is hosting the reality show for the second year in a row, with producers still unable to go back to its usual Australian home.

A member of staff at the castle said they saw three children “demolishing the battlements” on Sunday afternoon – the same day the venue closed to be set up for I’m A Celeb.

Our final day reminded us how far we’ve come, but also how much we have left to do over the coming years.

It was a huge shame to see that somebody damaged one of the restored battlements on the east lawn on our last day. This goes to show the huge task we have ahead of us! pic.twitter.com/oAp1Gq26e3

Speaking to the Press Association, the staff member said he was “astonished”, adding: “Thankfully nobody was injured, but part of the Grade l-listed building was damaged.”

In a picture on Twitter, bricks can be seen missing from part of the building’s wall, with a message saying: “Our final day reminded us how far we’ve come, but also how much we have left to do over the coming years.

“It was a huge shame to see that somebody damaged one of the restored battlements on the east lawn on our last day.

“This goes to show the huge task we have ahead of us!”

The Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust took over running of the site in 2018, and said that it has previously experienced arson and vandalism.

A spokesperson said: “We believe that it’s important that people are aware that even in the 21st century, historical landmarks are still being damaged and left to deteriorate.”

The castle is now closed to the public for the rest of the year, as it sets up for the show later in the autumn.

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Ant and Dec are both returning to the show this year, with the former previously saying he would be “very happy” to head back to Wales.

The 2020 edition was won by podcaster Giovanna Fletcher.

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