Stonework has been damaged and obscenities spray painted on the walls of Framlingham Castle — Suffolk superstar Ed Sheeran's inspiration for song Castle on the Hill.

The first incident happened on Tuesday, March 23, when safety netting was pulled down with stonework on the wall damaged in the process.

Then, by the morning of Sunday, March 28, the admission building had been graffitied with obscenities written on the outside, while two signs were also damaged with spray paint.

East Anglian Daily Times: Framlingham Castle was the inspiration behind Suffolk's own Ed Sheeran's pop hit 'Castle on the Hill'Framlingham Castle was the inspiration behind Suffolk's own Ed Sheeran's pop hit 'Castle on the Hill' (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

This comes after police designated the grounds of the castle a 'hotspot' for antisocial behaviour in September and there has been use of Class B drugs in the area.

The Grade I listed building was used by the British military in the Second World War against a potential German invasion. In recent years, it has been managed by the English Heritage Trust as a scheduled monument.

A spokesperson for English Heritage confirmed there had been two separate incidents of criminal damage.

They said in a statement: "Firstly, a section of safety netting was pulled down from outside Framlingham Castle grounds causing minor damage to the castle stonework.

"In a second instance our ticket office, a temporary wooden structure in the visitor car park, was vandalised with spray paint graffiti.

"English Heritage staff reported this instance to Suffolk police, who are investigating and we are helping them with their enquiries.

"We can confirm that the graffiti has since been removed, and the damage to the stonework has been reported to our expert conservators, fortunately, we believe it to be minor.

"Framlingham Castle has security systems in place, and in neither instances did the perpetrators enter the inner grounds of the castle.

"English Heritage is a charity and it is extremely disappointing that we have had to direct our limited resources towards undoing this damage."

Suffolk police are now appealing for witnesses to the vandalism incidents and anyone who knows who was responsible or saw any suspicious activity should contact them, quoting crime number 37/15316/21.