MINDLESS vandals are putting a new community centre project in jeopardy.

Young tearaways wreaked havoc at the old St John Ambulance headquarters last weekend, smashing tiles and leaving the place strewn with beer cans. The building, off Slyne Road, is destined to become home to the new community forum for Skerton.

Now, builder Roy Jackson, of Norman Jackson Contractors, who offered to help members of the Skerton Community Association refurbish the derelict building says he could be forced to abandon the project.

He told the Citizen: "It's very disheartening. We were looking to put the building into a habitable condition, but the vandalism could put this in jeopardy. Financial constraints mean we'll have to think again about the whole idea."

Myra Rowett, secretary of the Skerton Community Association, said she was disgusted with the hooligans but was determined to carry on with the work.

She said: "We want to build this centre for the good of the community. These mindless acts are ruining it for everybody. We've done lots of fundraising for the last two years to get this far, and I'm not going to let a group of youngsters ruin it."

The building belongs to Lancaster City Council. It is liaising with the police to try and put an end to an end to the vandalism.

But once the community centre is finally up and running members of the association hope it will become self-policing.

Myra added: "Lots of local groups are interested in using the building so there will probably be things going on most nights."

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