Two car crashes within a week have left a churchyard in Addington badly damaged and forced the church to close.

The first crash at St Mary the Blessed Virgin church took place on May 22 and left only a small dent in a wall, but just four days later another vehicle smashed into the same spot.

Reverend Debbie Forman, who has been at the church in Addington Villiage Road for about a year, said the damage the second time around was much more severe.

She said: “There’s quite a lot of damage and the part where the gate is hung is also destabilised which is a big issue.

“It’s not just a question of someone coming in and fixing it either. It’s a Grade II listed wall so it’s more complicated to fix.”

This also means the church will be closed for the near future.

It isn’t the first time the church has suffered at the hands of drivers, as Rev Forman said cars crashed into the wall on the other side of the church a few years ago.

She said: “It’s a nasty bend just near the church.

“It’s very sharp and cars come off very quickly.”

She added she was pleased no pedestrians were hurt during the incidents.

“I constantly think about what if someone had been there.

“There are usually a fair few people coming out of church and I’m just very thankful that no one was walking by there at the time.

“There’s also some talk about now putting in a bigger railing there in case something like this happens again.”

It’s not thought anybody was seriously hurt in the crashes.