Essex Church Vandalized for Sixth Time Since July 2024, Pastor Reports £50,000 in Damages

Salvation Chapel International, located in Laindon, a village west of Basildon in Essex, England, has been vandalized six times since July 2024. The most recent incident occurred over the Easter weekend in 2025, resulting in £1,000 in additional damages. The church was purchased by Pastor Daniel Berkoh-Gyamfi in 2025 after the congregation had rented the building since 2018.

In the latest attack, intruders broke through boarded-up windows, disabled security cameras and the internet connection, and stole tools valued at over £1,000 that were stored inside. A still-lit cigarette was found on the ground at the scene. Pastor Berkoh-Gyamfi alerted police on Easter Sunday after his security camera detected movement in the early hours.

Police arrived more promptly than in previous incidents but did not collect forensic evidence, citing the building as a commercial premises. Officers requested CCTV footage but declined to test the cigarette. The total damages from all six attacks amount to £50,000.

The vandalism began shortly after Pastor Berkoh-Gyamfi placed an offer to purchase the property in July 2024.

No incidents occurred during the rental period from 2018 to 2024. By the time contracts were exchanged, vandals had set the church on fire, requiring four Essex Fire Brigade engines to extinguish the blaze. The fire destroyed the interior, including sanitary facilities such as disabled and women's toilets, the church hall, and a piano.

Anti-Christian graffiti, including the words "fish" and "fisherman den" referencing the ichthys symbol, was found on the walls. Pastor Berkoh-Gyamfi has expressed concerns about ongoing surveillance of the church grounds, with CCTV footage showing individuals in hooded tracksuits present late at night.

He suspects that while teenagers may be carrying out the acts, property developers who competed to buy the land are orchestrating the attacks.

Pastor Berkoh-Gyamfi worries about safety once the church resumes operations, noting potential risks to worshippers.

Berkoh-Gyamfi told GB News that the incidents have caused him significant distress.

“The ordeal aches [my] heart and I have been crying over the crimes as if I’d lost a relative.”

He stated that police took the latest incident less seriously than expected. Nearly 4,000 crimes were reported at churches and places of worship in England and Wales in the previous year, according to a study by the Countryside Alliance, equating to more than 10 incidents per day.

The church plans to continue renovations despite the repeated vandalism, with no immediate resolution reported from police investigations.