Blearing eyed residents were woken by the church bells being rung in St Columb Minor in the early hours.

Two young men climbed up the scaffolding and entered the tower through the top hatch and began ringing the bells “erratically” from an upper room on Monday, July 3 at about 1am.

The disturbed neighbours called the police and the two men were spoken to by officers and dispersed from the area.

The incident follows St Columb Minor Parish Church being vandalised on Thursday, June 22.

A callous vandal sprayed Ajax cleaning fluid into the electric sockets in part of the church, which are used for the sound system and organ.