Repairs are to be carried out on the section of King James III's tomb cover recently vandalised at Cambuskenneth Abbey.

The shattered section of the Tournai marble cover will be removed from the tower of the abbey church and taken to the Historic Scotland conservation centre in Edinburgh.

The damage was done earlier this month when a piece of the stone that had already been cracked by vandals earlier in the year was broken into many pieces.

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Richard Welander, Historic Scotland Head of Collections, said: "I am very pleased that the experts at our conservation centre believe they can repair the shattered section of the tomb cover.

"What's sad is that due to vandals we will have to invest an estimated £2,000 in staff time and materials in undoing the damage.

"We also feel that it is wise to temporarily lock away the rest of the tomb cover to keep it safe from attack."

The bell tower door is being kept locked until the removal has been carried out.

The other sections of the tomb cover will be then be moved elsewhere on the site where they can be kept under lock and key.

(GK/JM)