"THIS IS the worst attack on the church since it was bombed in the war".

These were the angry words spoken by the Rector of Southampton when he found his popular church had been vandalised less than 48 hours before it celebrated its 50th anniversary of being re-built after the Nazi bombing in November 1940.

Rev Ian Johnson, Rector of Southampton, who arrived at the church on Saturday morning to oversee the flower festival was devastated to find his church yet again be subjected to acts of vandalism with damages estimated at more than £20,000.

A total of 17 windows, including the church's Barnabas stained glass window, were smashed just hours before its annual flower festival.

Yesterday was also the church's golden jubilee celebrations when more than 150 invited guests attended including the mayor, councillors, dignatries and leaders from different faiths within the city.

Speaking just minutes after the damage was discovered, Rev Johnson said: "We have got our flower festival and golden jubilee this weekend and once again our windows have been smashed.

"This is the worst attack on the church since it was bombed in the war. It is going to cost us thousands of pounds and there is no guarantee it won't happen again tonight or tomorrow night.

"On Friday morning our glaziers were here replacing the Barnabas stained window which has taken two-and-a-half years to replace after it was smashed by yobs and it has been smashed again.

"They have thrown the stones so hard that they have still managed to smash the glass through the protective wiring. We are going to have to think about what we are going to do. Perhaps we won't heat the church during the next winter to save money.

"Some of the ladies, who have been organising the flower festival for 30 or 40 years, were in tears this morning when they came to water the flowers. Words cannot describe how I am feeling.

"A lot of the flower exhibits are covered in glass which we are trying to clear up now as the festival will go on as planned. I am also going to get emergency glaziers to come and board up the damaged windows in time for the jubilee on Sunday."

Anas Al-Kovj of the Muslim Council of Southampton inspected the damage during a planned meeting with Rev Johnson and described the vandalism as "mindless".

He said: "It is unbelievable, really terrible. It's a place of worship, it's very, very bad. The sad news is it happened two weeks ago as well.

"It must be someone really mindless doing it."

Despite the damage the jubilee service went ahead. The sun was shining through the church's many windows and the mood was uplifting with minimal signs of the damage caused by mindless vandals just 48 hours earlier The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt described the vandalism as "sickening" during his sermon but praised the parishioners for supporting St Mary's Church in the past, present and future.

He said: "Fifty years ago the consecration of this church was a wonderful symbol of the re-birth of the city of Southampton which was devastated by the firebombings of November 1940.

"The celebration of this jubilee is appropriate this year as we have a new civic service, a new mayor and new councillors."

This latest attack on the St Mary's Church comes just weeks after Rev Johnson warned that the church's future could be in jeopardy following a previous attack when ten windows were smashed.

He added: "I sat down with my financial and general purchases committee last week to work out what we are going to do. If we were to wire all the windows that were vulnerable that would cost us £20,000.

"We are also looking at a CCTV project which will cost us another £20,000. Last year we were £50,000 in deficit and if we are £90,000 in deficit next year we will be insolvent."