THE congregation of a historic church are praying divine intervention, and a £37,000 repair job, will stop determined squirrels munching on their historic spire.

Back in the autumn, parishioners of All Saints’ Church in Didcot were baffled to discover a gang of grey squirrels were chewing their way through the cedar shingle tiles on the belfry’s spire.

After months trying to stop the committed critters, the decision was made to replace all the shingles on the 19th century structure.

The Revd Karen Beck said: “We’d done nothing differently and I still have no idea why they started, but apparently they’ll eat just about anything.

“We tried all sorts of things to stop them but nothing worked and at about Easter time we decided there was no option but to replace the shingles.”

“The damage was horrific. They left huge holes around the spire and they just got bigger and bigger.

"This was the last resort.”

After months of fundraising and planning, the £37,000 project has now been completed.

The repair work was done by Attleys Roofing, based in Banbury, who stripped the old roof, repaired the internal frame and installed the new shingles, which have been specially treated to deter further damage.

Church warden Brenda Andrews also renovated the spire’s weathervane with gold paint.

She said: “We had the spire reclad about 40 years and after the squirrels started it meant the weather was getting in, so we knew something needed to be done to stop the damage.

“While we were doing that, I thought it would be nice to redecorate the weathervane as well.”

The project was funded with grants from the Gladiator Trust – a charity which advances religion – and Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust, as well as a bequest from Leslie Smallbone, a former resident and shopkeeper in the town.

The Revd Beck said: “Because of the age of the building and its historic significance you can’t do anything on the cheap.

“But the whole spire has now been treated so hopefully that should keep the squirrels away.”

All Saints’ dates back, in parts, to 1170 and The Revd Beck said churchgoers were passionate about protecting their piece of Didcot’s heritage.

She added: “The congregation are determined that it will be maintained and developed for future generations as the town grows but much work has to be done and much support from the community in Didcot and wider will be essential.

“The next phase will be the replacement and extension of the church path and its lighting so that access is made much easier.”