Wardens at a 14th century Suffolk village church need to raise £40,000 within the next two years for urgent repairs to its tower to prevent it becoming dangerous.

Masonry is in danger of falling from around the mullion windows in the tower at St Ethelbert's Church in Falkenham, near Felixstowe, which has resulted in the entrance being switched from the west door to the south porch to ensure churchgoers' safety.

However, the Reverend Nicholas Williams, rector at St Ethelbert's Church, provided assurances that the tower was not in danger of collapsing.

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He said the church had just had its quinquennial (five yearly) inspection by an architect which highlighted a number of maintenance issues that needed resolving, including the tower.

"There is a danger that bits might fall off the tower and drop down to the ground there. It has not happened that anyone has been injured there yet, but given the architect's report, we would rather be safe than sorry," Rev Williams added.

The damage has been caused by wear and tear over the years and the effects of the weather with rain water seeping into the tower and loosening the masonry.

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The task of raising the money could be challenging as there is no Government funding and the church will be reliant on donations from churchgoers and visitors, along with money raised at fundraising events, such as a forthcoming harvest weekend.

In addition, Rev Williams said the church only had a small regular congregation of 14 or 15 parishioners, while the cost would inevitably increase the longer it took to raise the money.

The specialised nature of the work needed to an historic church building also added to the price.

Jo Shaw, a churchwarden at St Ethelbert's, said as well as the repairs to the tower, some of the £40,000 would also have to be spent on the roof to carry out repairs between the tiles and prevent water leaks, while trees also needed cutting.

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However, she was more confident about being able to raise the money, saying the church had collected similar sums for maintenance work in the past.

She said: "We have got to make it safe so we don't have issues with it being dangerous.

"If we did get to the stage where masonry fell down, we would have to do what we did in the 80s and put a canopy in the doorway."

Rev Williams said the church, one of eight in the Orwell and Deben Rural Benefice, attracted a lot of visitors due to its picturesque location overlooking the River Deben.