Birkirkara's feast of St Helen yesterday ended in disaster for followers when the statue's wooden cross was damaged after being accidentally slammed against some street decorations.

The damage, which is not major, occurred when the statue hit overhead festa decorations in St Roque Street as it was being carried shoulder high through the town during the procession.

A carpenter was called in to inspect the damage immediately after the incident, so concerned where some of the feast organisers. The statue includes the cross because the saint is historically credited with finding the relics of the true cross.

Besides the feast of St Helen on the Sunday following August 18, Birkirkara also celebrates the feast of the cross in May.