HOLY Well fountain in Malvern Wells has been defaced with graffiti.

Religious messages have been scrawled on the walls, while the presence of burnt wood suggests some sort of ritual has taken place.

Messages such as 'Our Lady is Safe' and 'The Goddess Forever' are written on the walls, along with drawings of a six-pointed star or hexagram, a symbol which has various meanings to a wide range of religions, from Eastern spiritualism to the occult, Freemasonry and Paganism.

Religious leaflets, pictures of the Virgin Mary and a string of beads have also been found alongside the graffiti, which refers to balance and Sananda, a name some New Age groups use to refer to Jesus.

Cora Weaver, of the Malvern Spa Association, said: "We don't have a problem with people leaving votive offerings or published religious material, but they are defacing the fabric of the building and doing a lot of damage."

Friends of Malvern Springs and Wells said the graffiti reduced the historic building to "the state of the average public toilet" and appealed to people visiting the site to respect it.

The Holy Well building is privately owned but there is permanent public access to the well itself on the ground floor of the 19th Century listed building.

Owner Mike Humm hopes the vandalism will stop once Holy Well is restored by the Malvern Spa Association later this year. A Heritage Lottery Fund grant was made to the Malvern Spa Association to restore Malvern's historic water features.

Historically, the well water has been taken as a cure. According to a local legend, Holy Well has links with St Augustine.