Vandals destroyed an outdoor baptismal pool and set fire to a protective canopy outside St James Church in Devizes on Saturday night.

But the mother of the two boys who were baptised on Sunday says she bears no malice towards the vandals.

Kate Morris from Urchfont said she would like to see those responsible for attacking the 2,000-litre plastic pool and setting fire to the gazebo in the early hours of Sunday come to church. 

Her sons James, nine, and William, six, were to undergo the whole body baptism on Sunday morning but the service was put in jeopardy by the actions of the vandals.

Mrs Morris said: “I don’t hold anything against them. I forgive them and I hope they will change their minds about religion. I would like to see them in church.”

The Rev Chris Tebbutt, the vicar of St James, had arranged for the large garden swimming pool, purchased for £50, to be set up in the churchyard and it was left filling overnight.

Churchwarden Noel Woolrych said: “We checked on it at 10pm and then midnight but when Chris came down at about 6am on Sunday, it had been completely trashed.”

The pool had been punctured while the gazebo over it had been set on fire. The police have been informed.

Mrs Morris said: “After the initial shock and disappointment the day actually turned out very well. Someone in the congregation came up with another pool and we were able to go ahead with the baptism as planned.

“James and William have been coming to church since they were very young. It was their choice to be baptised.”

Mr Woolrych, who is also manager of the town’s CCTV system, said that there is a plan to put up a camera to cover the Green, which would also take in the churchyard.

He said: “If the camera was in place we might not have been able to see them set fire to the gazebo, but we could certainly have seen the flames and even have identified people walking towards the church before the attack.”

Mr Tebbutt expressed his disappointment that the vandalism had taken place. He said: “When I told everyone we were going to have an outdoor baptism someone said, don’t expect to see the pool there in the morning.

“I replied, I think you underestimate the people of Devizes. They really care about the church. So when I turned up and saw the mess I felt really let down.

“Perhaps it was youngsters who had a few too many drinks. But it all worked out well. We had a paddling pool there and we were able to fill it up in time. It ended up a happy and delightful event. We will certainly do it again in the future if asked.”

Mr Tebbutt said full-immersion baptisms are becoming more popular, although it was the first to