Arrest made over graffiti damage at medieval abbey

A man has been arrested after a Unesco World Heritage Site in Yorkshire was damaged by graffiti.

North Yorkshire Police said Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, was defaced on Sunday, after "Don't steal drugs" was found daubed in capital letters in white paint on the side of the Grade I-listed building.

Graffiti has also been found on the nearby St Mary's Church, police added.

The force said a man in his 40s was arrested on Wednesday night on suspicion of criminal damage, and remains in custody.

"The paint [used for the graffiti] was oil-based, meaning considerable damage has been done to the medieval stonework, and the National Trust are working to rectify this," police said.

Following the incident on Sunday, Sgt Danny Copperwheat, from North Yorkshire Police, described the incident as "an appalling act of vandalism on a world-renowned heritage site".

General Manager at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Justin Scully said: "We are deeply saddened by the vandalism to this special place."

"Although, sadly, we do occasionally see vandalism to historic sites nationally, this is unprecedented at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal - a World Heritage Site that is loved by visitors locally, nationally and across the world," he added.

Mr Scully said the National Trust was working with English Heritage to "limit the impact of the graffiti".

He added: "We are currently assessing whether specialist contractors will be required to remove it as quickly as possible, without causing further damage to the stonework."

Fountains Abbey is one of two Unesco World Heritage Sites in Yorkshire - the other being Saltaire, near Bradford.

The monastic ruins are the largest of their kind in the country and date back to 1132, when 32 monks left St Mary's Abbey in York to set up a new community.

The abbey was dissolved in 1539 by King Henry VIII, and the Crown sold the estate to merchant Sir Richard Gresham before it eventually passed to the National Trust.

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