The main door to Dunnottar Castle has been damaged after someone attempted to gain entry using a mechanical saw.
Police have now launched an investigation into the incident, which they say took place between 4pm on Wednesday, June 10 and 9am on Monday, June 15.
The front door, which was manufactured in the 1920s, was breached using a mechanical saw.
A jogger reported the incident to the police after discovering the damage this morning.
The castle is thought to have opened in the late 1300s, and sits upon a rocky headland in Aberdeenshire, just two miles south of Stonehaven.
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Constable Graeme Robertson, of the Stonehaven Community Policing Team, said: "Currently we are trying to narrow the time frame as to when this took place.
"I would appeal to all joggers, metal detectors and other members of the public to report anything they may have seen, no matter how seemingly insignificant.
"This is damage to a property of historic importance, not only to the residents of Stonehaven, that it overlooks, but to Scotland”.
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Police would urge anyone with information to call 101 and quote incident 0853 of June 15, 2020 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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