Canon Hugh White of St Matthew's Roman Catholic Church, said older youths were targeting the B-listed building with golf balls – and that the attacks were killing off the community spirit.

Canon White told the Advertiser how, at 6pm on Sunday, August 3, he saw four males aged between 16 and 18 using golf clubs to fire balls at the church, which had a £250,000 renovation only a month ago.

The attacks have become a regular occurrence over the past year, he said, and are now destroying renovations — to which churchgoers have contributing so generously.

Historic

"They've got me over a barrel," he said, "because I'm supposed to forgive and turn the other cheek, but it's very hard."

"I found 17 golf balls this time, on one occasion there has been 75. We've had broken windows in the past.

"I don't know whether they are trying to get the balls over the church, but they are not children mucking about, they know what they are doing.

"We have literally just finished a quarter of a million refurbishment and now there are five broken historic tiles.

"I feel so depressed; the church has done so much in the village."

Disheartening

He added: "We want to bring home to people that it's their neighbours lining up and targeting their property. The village is being slapped in the face.

"It's so discouraging and disheartening to think it is people from Rosewell who are doing this.

"The whole community spirit has died if you're not looking out for one another."

He said he did not believe there was any anti-Catholic sentiment involved in the attacks.

Police Sergeant Peter Jones said: "I am aware this is an ongoing problem in Rosewell and have asked community officer Rod Stewart to liaise with the informant and to look into the matter."