Haddington: St Mary's Parish Church wall damaged by Scottish Opera’s vehicle

The stone pillar and iron gate of St Mary’s Parish Church in Haddington were damaged by the van last September when the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra were performing in the church.

The damage caused to the wall during last year's incident

The concert, which was part of the Lammermuir Festival, is understood to have been recorded for broadcast.

This year’s 12-day-long festival brought Scottish Opera to the church for opening night last Thursday when they performed Massenet’s Therese.

It is understood that the damage to the pillar was caused when the large lorry carrying the company’s equipment bumped into it, moving one of the new blocks out of alignment.

Although the damage is not as significant as last year’s incident, East Lothian Council, which is responsible for the wall, will have to carry out additional repair work.

The newly repaired church pillar at St Mary's Parish Church in Haddington has taken a knock and will need more work

An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of damage caused to the recently repaired pillar at St Mary’s Church by a Scottish Opera vehicle.

“We are progressing this with our insurers as work will be required to rectify the issue.”

St Mary’s Parish Church is the longest church in Scotland, measuring 206 feet from east to west; it took nearly 100 years to build.

It is where reformist John Knox, who grew up in the town, trained as a priest.

The Lammermuir Festival is an annual summer event which sees classical concerts and performances take place across East Lothian in a variety of stunning locations.

A Scottish Opera spokesperson said: “We are troubled to hear there may have been an issue with a contractor bumping a gatepost.

“It is important to us we treat all venues with great respect.

"We are looking into the issue.”