PARTS of Tantallon Castle, east of North Berwick, have been damaged following a break-in.

Damage was reported on the castle’s iron entrance gate, while a door was removed from an external storage cupboard, both of which were described as “not historic”.

Nothing was stolen.

North Berwick Community Council was made aware of the incident, which took place between July 10 and 12, at its meeting last month.

Enquiries into the break-in are ongoing.

A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland, which manages the castle, said: “We can confirm that there was a break-in at Tantallon Castle in July where a fence and the gate to Douglas Tower was damaged.

“Our monument conservation unit secured the site and reported the incident to Police Scotland.

“Any damage of historic buildings is a heritage crime and can cause irreparable damage to historic sites, causing us to lose pieces of our past forever. We would ask that members of the public with any information contact Police Scotland.”

And the spokesperson added: “The gate is part of the castle. The fence is not historic and the part of the gate that was damaged is also not historic.”

Tantallon Castle, which had been shut since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, reopened to visitors on Friday.