Around £500 of damage was caused in the most recent incident at the town’s Baptist Church.

Roller shutters installed to protect the garage were ripped away from their mountings in an attempt to gain access, while it appears an axe was used on fire doors leading to the sports hall.

Commenting on the incident which took place the weekend before last, Pastor Lindsey Allen commented: “It’s frustrating to have to spend money on repairs that we could be spending on improving facilities for children and young people. The small group of people involved in this anti-social activity are depriving the community of much needed amenities.

“We run, among other things, youth clubs, fitness programmes and parenting classes in this church, and we don’t want to have to cut back on those due to the financial pressures brought about by repairing acts of vandalism.”

Over the past 12 months the church has spent thousands of pounds in repairing and combating vandalism to doors and windows.

In March the matter was raised by Councillor Stewart Dickson at a meeting of Carrick District Policing Partnership. Carrick PSNI said they were working with the church to try to stop attacks.

Two other churches in the town were the targets of vandalism this month.

The caretaker of a church at Minorca Place arrived on the morning of Monday 16 November to find a brick had been thrown through a window. This may have occurred any time between November 13 and the time at which the damage was discovered.

And youths were reported to have set fire to a bin at the rear of Carrickfergus Elim Church at Northlands on November 14.