HOOLIGANS have snapped off the drainpipe and hurled pieces of paving slabs through the windows and roof at Leigh Hospice shop causing £1,000 worth of damage.

Their mindless action has been slammed by organisers for wrecking the good work of volunteers in the area -- and depriving the terminally ill of much needed cash raised to keep the hospice open.

The attack at the Bradshawgate premises follows a costly assault on the Kildare Street, Hindley, hospice in February when vandals broke lights and letters from the sign, as well as spraying graffiti.

Hospice spokesman Mike Norris said the louts struck at the back of the Leigh premises late last week, breaking two of the upstairs kitchen windows and damaging the new £3,000 roof extension.

He said: "Broken paving flags were put through the kitchen windows, damaging crockery stored there, but the main damage is to the new roof of the extension which is leaking in to the storeroom.

"What is upsetting is that this stupidity deprives sick people of much needed funds. Leigh is a good shop and makes good money, but what use is it if the money raised has to be spent on doing repairs? All the money comes from the same pot. Leigh used to be one of the worst shops in the area for robberies. It was broken in five times through the roof. We've had to put an alarm in the roof so that it goes off if anyone steps on it."

Appeals officer Brian Halliwell said: "All the hard work that the people of Leigh do for the hospice in donating their hard-earned cash for people who are terminally ill to be spoilt by the actions of vandals is despicable and beyond words.

"The hospice costs a mimimum of £1.5million a year to run and 70 per cent of funds are raised from voluntary contributions. Vandalism is something we can well do without."