A gravestone for Ebenezer Scrooge in Shrewsbury that was smashed to bits has been repaired for free, in what the vicar has described as a “really heartwarming” Christmas story.

The gravestone for Scrooge, a fictional character created by Charles Dickens in his 1843 A Christmas Carol, was used as a prop during filming for a 1984 adaptation of the novella.

But one Sunday in November this year, the vicar at St Chad’s church, the Rev Sam Mann, walked past and saw the grave had been shattered in a mystery act of destruction. Now it has been repaired in time for Christmas by a local stonemason.

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Within about 48 hours, the vicar said, the stone was taken away for repair, after local firm Midland Masonry offered to fix it for free. The speedy timeline was remarkable, Mann said, because gravestone changes or repairs usually need diocese approval. In this case the Diocese of Lichfield granted emergency permission.

Local stonemason Ed Jones told BBC Radio Shropshire: “Basically, I spoke to my boss, and he was quite happy for us to do it free of charge.”

The repair, Jones added, involved removing the gravestone, digging out the grave, laying a concrete foundation, fixing the stone with stainless steel pins and resin, applying a mortar repair across the top to address cracks, then adding a cement base so it cannot be lifted.

“I just feel that it’s something we can do for society and for everyone who comes to see it, because it’s an heirloom of Shrewsbury, isn’t it,” Jones said. “People in the street will ask you, ‘Where’s Ebenezer?’ And you just say, ‘Well, it’s down there on the left, in St Chad’s church.’”

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The gravestone, Mann said, “for us as a town came to represent our attitude towards welcoming visitors”. He added: “Local people were really hurt that this had happened.”

He praised the work of the Shrewsbury town council, town clerk Helen Ball, Lichfield diocese, and stonemasons Midland Masonry for the swift job.

“The message in the book is all about generosity, isn’t it,’” Mann said. “Actually, in a strange way, this whole episode ties into what Christmas is all about … It’s just really heartwarming that it’s been repaired so quickly and for free.”

And previously:

• Humbug: vandal smashes gravestone of Ebenezer Scrooge