FIVE churches in Gwent - including Newport Cathedral - are to receive more than £400,000 in government grants for urgent roof repairs, it was revealed yesterday.

The churches - two in Blaenau Gwent, one in Caerleon, one in Monmouthshire and one in Newport - are just five of a total of 27 churches in Wales to receive £1.6 million from the Chancellor of the Exchequer through the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund.

Christ Church in Ebbw Vale is to receive £99,900, St George's Church in Tredegar to receive £76,000, St Cadoc's Church in Caerleon will receive £69,600, St Mary's Church in Panteg will receive £65,600 and Newport Cathedral £96,000.

The five churches, benefitting from a total of £407,100, will be made weather-tight with urgent repairs to roofs and rainwater disposal systems.

The roof repair fund, administered by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, is part of a wider funding package of £30 million to 502 historic places of worship across the UK which was announced yesterday.

It was launched by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement last year with a UK-wide budget of £15 million. In his 2015 Budget speech the Chancellor announced a further commitment of £40 million to the fund, bringing a new total of £55 million.

Applications will reopen later this year for another round of grants to be announced in 2016.