A RETIRED councillor who campaigned for a bench to be installed at a popular meeting place has blasted vandals who have caused hundreds-of-pounds worth of damage to it.

Bill Birch, who served on Darwen Council for more than 20 years, is furious that the bench on the corner of Grimshaw Street and Bolton Road, Darwen, was vandalised on Monday night.

The bench was installed three years ago using money from The Lloyd's Trust, a fund left by a Darwen family for use in the town.

Mr Birch explained: "I used to see pensioners from the nearby flats congregating on the corner and thought it would be nice to have a bench there for them to sit on and chat.

"I asked the Lloyd's Trust for the money and Darwen Civic Trust arranged for the bench to be made. It has been there and well-used for the last three years until these stupid thugs came along and wrecked it for everyone. I'm very angry."

Mr Birch is now to ask tradesmen from the civic trust to repair the bench which is made of Burmese teak and worth more than £600.

He added: "It's just so frustrating to see. That bench will have to be practically rebuilt because of the damage. The vandals have literally ripped it to pieces."

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