The church clock at St Mary's Church in Saffron Walden was damaged during a lightning strike.

During the thunderstorm on the morning of Friday, May 5, lightning either struck the tower of St Mary's Church or hit very close by.

The lightning conductor on the tower ensured that there was no damage to the structure of the building, although a number of electronic items were affected and need to be replaced.

One of the items damaged was the mechanism which stops the church clock from sounding during the night.

Rector of St Mary's Jeremy Trew said: "It has taken us a few days to identify all of the items that have been damaged and I would like to thank those local residents who informed us that since Friday the clock has been chiming at night.

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"To avoid this, and until a repair is completed, we have had to stop the clock from chiming at all, which, regrettably, means it will also be silent during the day.

"The clock is owned and maintained by the town council and we have informed them that a repair is required."

St Mary's Church is more than 800 years old, and is open daily for worship.