A cathedral next door to a police station has been forced to install security cameras following a 'relentless' spate of vandalism.

The dean of Peel Cathedral in the Isle of Man said it had no other option after vandals sprayed grafitti and damaged furniture.

Very Rev Nigel Godrey told the BBC: 'The vandalism is being carried out by a limited number of people but on a relentless scale – it's pathetic.

'It's not very significant but it just causes a lot of trouble.

'We're going backwards spending money and time on this, when we want to be making improvements and going forwards at the cathedral.'

The cameras have been installed inside the cathedral but officials are considering installing them in the grounds too.

Godrey told IOM Today that new lighting in the grounds had made the situation there worse, with graffiti on walls and on sculptures, Victorian cast-iron benches broken and damage to plants.

'It can be a bit dispiriting when we are trying to create a new visitor destination for the island and we are spending time on repairs rather than moving forward,' he said.

He added: 'The general public has access to the cathedral as it is open daily from 9am to 6pm and is not always staffed.

'People are welcome to help themselves to refreshments and use the internet. We also have an informal food bank where people can just help themselves to what they need. Unfortunately, one or two abuse this hospitality so refectory tables have been purposely gouged with keys, sugar thrown around, biscuits scattered in the cathedral and the grounds.'

The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Sodor and Man, the Church of England's smallest.