THE historic Worcester Cathedral has been damaged by Storm Arwen.

High winds have seen a large stone fall from the tower, smashing through the north choir aisle roof.

This, according to the Bishop of Worcester Dr John Inge, has caused "extensive damage."

The Bishop took to Twitter to reveal the damage, saying: "Through the night Storm Arwen has brought a large stone from the tower through the north choir aisle roof of Worcester Cathedral causing extensive damage.

"I hope it won’t be regarded as an act of God."

Storm Arwen has seen high winds, rain and snow across the country, with Worcestershire already seeing travel disruption and road closures due to fallen trees.

You can follow all our coverage of the storm by going to the Worcester News' live blog

You can find it at www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/19746151.weather-updates-storm-arwen-brings-rain-wind-snow-worcestershire/

As a result of the damage, a concert due to be held in the Cathedral has been cancelled.

Worcester Festival Choral Society was to have performed a programme of much-loved works by Mozart and Fauré.

The concert, which was almost sold out with more than 500 tickets sold, would have been the Society’s first performance for almost two years and the opener to its historic 160th anniversary season.

All ticket purchasers are being contacted regarding refunds.

The Cathedral is also closed to visitors today.

Ben Cooper, Worcester Festival Choral Society chairman, said: "We are deeply disappointed that this has unexpected event has happened, especially as it would have been our first post-pandemic concert, and so many music lovers wanted to attend.

"But everyone’s safety is paramount and it’s vital to take this precautionary measure.

"We wish the Cathedral staff well at this difficult time, and hope that the Cathedral is back to normal very soon."

Concert-goers can find more details on Worcester Festival Choral Society’s website www.wfcs.online, and on its Facebook page.

Updates from Worcester Cathedral can also be found on its Facebook page.