A MAJOR church restoration project has started.

Water was leaking onto the organ at The John the Baptist Church in Mount Bures as its roof had got into such a sorry state.

But thanks to church fundraising and donations, the £50,000 project is finally underway.

It looks set to last 12 weeks.

As well as the roof, work to seal the corner joints on the building’s outside walls will take place.

Andrew Colchester, a member of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and a former church warden, said: “The cost was beyond us until recently.

“Time was going by and water was coming in, but we managed to get a grant from two sources.

“The Essex Environment Trust gave £15,000 and the Friends of Essex Churches Trust gave £8,000.

“These two offers, taken with fundraising we have been doing on behalf of the church, meant we were in a position to proceed.

“At long last we have got the funds in place and the builder is able to start work.”

Mr Colchester said he did not know when the roof of the Norman building was last repaired.

The last major restoration project at the church was about ten years ago when the spire roof was replaced.