A STAINED glass window of a Rogiet church has been smashed following a break in which saw their cash box stolen at the weekend.

The St Mary's Church on St Mary's Crescent, was broken into sometime between 1pm on January 17 and 10am on January 18. The church has been broken into three times since 2012.

The church currently has sensor lights and an alarm system but will now be looking to increase security measures since the recent break in.

Fay Baxter, church warden, said: "This is the third time now we've been broken into in the last few years. Up till now they have come in through the vestry windows but this time they have smashed the stained glass window.

"It's a beautiful window - its one out of three panels depicting Christ. It's going to be very expensive to replace it - probably in the thousands but we won't know until the insurance company come out."

She added: "It's a family window, the Anstey family who are local purchased the window about 50 or 60 years ago in memory of their parents. They don't know about the break in yet as they are away on holiday."

Ms Baxter said the money stolen was a small amount of change from the donations dish.

She said: "The shame of the whole thing is the destruction of the beautiful window and the fact that the insurance excess is money we now cannot give to charity.

"We found out as we arrived for service on Sunday somebody had been at the church on Saturday so it must have happened on that night. As people were coming in for the morning service they were crying their hearts out. "

Gwent Police are appealing for information following the break in. Anyone with information relating to this is asked to call 101 quoting log 155 18/01/15.