‘DESPICABLE’ vandals have been slammed for starting a series of fires at a cemetery.

Police and fire crews are now investigating five blazes at Pleasington Cemetery in Blackburn on Sunday night.

Coun Derek Hardman said there had been an increasing problem of yobs in the area.

And neighbourhood officers have made the area a priority.

Gates to the park are locked each night at 9pm in a bid to halt loutish behaviour at the site.

But access to the area is still possible on foot.

On Sunday at 8.45pm two fire crews from Blackburn were called out to the incident and found five different fire, all started near graves in the grass.

Coun Hardman said: “This sort of behaviour is totally out of order and obviously the community police need to look closely at this problem.

“In recent weeks there has been an increase in incidents and there were even children throwing missiles at cars in Preston Old Road.

“It is such a big area and those people who started the fires have certainly gone out of their way to be in that area and behave in that manner.”

A fire service spokesman said: “That many fires in one area is not environmental conditions or an accident. It is deliberate. It ties up resources that cannot be elsewhere should there be a critical incident.”