THE leader of an outreach project has slammed the yobs who wrecked a Blackburn allotment site.

Ian McHugh, who runs community outreach programme Bootstrap Enterprises, said staff were ‘very upset’ after their hard work was ruined.

Thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused on Tuesday, when sheds were torched, polytunnels slashed and vegetable patches ruined in the rampage at the site off St James’ Road.

Bosses at the Teak Street Allotments said tenants were heartbroken at the destruction and Mr McHugh said his colleagues were distraught.

He said: “We offer courses for unemployed people to try and help them get back into the community.

“It gives them confidence, work experience and a sense of pride in their local areas.

“We did work on behalf of Capita to regenerate the allotments, lift the community up and stop it being an eyesore.

“We did some general tidying up, litter picking, removing flytipping, cutting hedges and trimming the site to make it more pleasing on the eye.

“A lot of hard work from our guys has now been trashed by yobs. It’s gutting when you try your best to help and someone ends up wrecking everything.

“The supervisor on that job, Adam Murray, rang me today when he saw the Lancashire Telegraph and was very upset. He had overseen the project.”

Mr McHugh was unsure whether Bootstrap staff would have to re-do the work, saying it depended on the ‘priority’ of the job and if Capita asked them to get involved again.

He added: “There’s no need for it at all. It’s people who are bored with nothing better to do.

"The whole point of these programmes we get our individuals involved in is to have pride in the projects.

“But it’s an endless battle getting them looking nice and then re-doing them.”