Gardai in North Kerry are investigating an act of vandalism at a church in Ballyduff in which the altar cloth was set alight.

Sources told The Kerryman they are now following a definite line into the incident in which three young women entered the Sts Peter and Paul Parish Church in the village before setting fire to the altar.

The incident happened on Friday evening when the church was still open to the public. It was believed to have been unoccupied when the trio entered, making their way to the altar before setting fire to the cloth covering it.

Detectives are baffled by the motive behind the incident, with the investigation currently treating it as an intentional act.

Luckily, the altar cloth failed to go up in flames with the initial blaze sputtering out soon afterwards – also scorching part of the carpet beneath.