COUNCILLORS called for ‘more to be done’ to catch thieves behind a spate of paving stone thefts.

Six slabs from the path in Lime Road in Accrington were taken in the latest in a long line of incidents in the borough.

Calls are being made for everyone to do what they can to catch those responsible amid fears thieves will keep on striking.

Paving stones were stolen from Huncoat Peace Garden in January and dozens were taken from Oakhill Park in October.

Cllr Paul Cox, who represents the Milnshaw area, fears ‘where will it end’.

He said: “This is an act of pure vandalism on the part of those responsible.

“These stones are part of the areas heritage. Stealing them is something that makes me frustrated and angry.

“We have enough issues with poor foot ways in the area without this kind of action.

“It’s a public footpath and this sort of thing makes it dangerous for people using it. Where will it end?”

He also estimates that the stones stolen were more than 100 years old and left a six foot gap in the pavement.

Last year a spike in stone thefts saw 12 incidents in Accrington in a week in September and Stanhill Gardens in Oswaldtwistle has also faced the same problems recently.

Police said they are carrying out investigations into a number of stone thefts in the area.

Deputy council leader Cllr Cox has urged anybody with any information to report it to police to prevent the problem becoming worse.

He said: “We take a lot of pride in our area and this is an issue we have been lucky to avoid in Milnshaw.

“People need to report anything they see about this sort of thing, my fear is now that more will be taken.”

Council leader Cllr Miles Parkinson said: “It is an issue in the area, it seems to be that stone theft is on the rise.

“Before it was cable wires and metal that was stolen but now it seems paving slab thefts is the latest problem.

“We will be doing as much as we can to take precaution over these incidents.”

A police spokesman said were investigating the thefts.