A handful of pre-barmitzvah age children of Muswell Hill Synagogue members destroyed a shed and vandalised a staircase with paint on Yom Kippur, causing £350 worth of damage.

Shul chair Stephen Frosh sent an email to the entire congregation asking parents to question their children on their whereabouts on the day. Making good the damage was, he wrote, “a complete waste of your membership fees”.

Mr Frosh said there had been “a really great response” with “written apologies from children, some of whom are coming in to help the caretaker to show their willing. Some parents have given financial contributions.

“We have a lot of children, around 300, and there is a child safety issue here, which we take very seriously. Parents have been really helpful with suggestions on how to improve the way in which we offer security, as well as the provision we offer for children to keep them occupied.”

He added: “These children are valued in the community and we have no desire to be punitive.”