A FIGURINE left by an eight-year-old girl on her mother's grave was damaged when vandals attacked a village churchyard.

Vandals also scattered flowers and wreaths around St Paul's CE Church graveyard, Hoddlesden, Darwen, on New Year's Eve.

The statuette of an angel, left as a Christmas gift, has been repaired and replaced, according to a local resident who was too frightened to be named.

She said: "We were very upset when this happened in the churchyard. There were several cars trashed with their windows broken around New Year's Day.

"People who have complained about these things before have had their cars damaged. It's been getting worse for the last two months."

Blackburn with Darwen borough councillor Fred Slater said: "The local people are outraged. It is a nice little village apart from a very small group of youngsters who are doing these things."

Community police officer Angela Paxton said police had received five complaints of damage to property and cars and two complaints of youngsters being a nuisance.

She said: "We are trying to combat the problem by finding out what these youngsters are doing and deal with the problem."

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