A FIRM has blasted parking bosses for giving burglars a stepping stone into its yard after suffering a spate of break-ins.

The owners of Wasp Roofing Supplies, Weir Street, Blackburn, said that the lack of thinking had led to thieves striking three times since early September.

The business moved into the former storage yard for empty gas cylinders this summer and is surrounded by an 18ft brick wall.

But the pay and display ticket machine and parking sign installed by Blackburn with Darwen Council are allowing theives access to valuable building equipment.

An existing electricity box on one side helps create a series of steps to the top of the wall and gives thieves access to the yard.

Today Blackburn with Darwen Council said it was reviewing the siting of the equipment after police confirmed it was allowing thieves to clamber over the wall.

Wasp partner, Peter Barratt, said: "The council has basically given potential thieves a leg up over our wall and into our supplies yard.

"Not only have they chosen the lowest point of the wall to put the pay and display machine, they have provided steps on either side to make it even easier to climb over.

"We have now had to fork out for razor wire to be installed around the walls and Close Circuit Television to protect the yard - which we can't really afford." The machine and the sign were installed several months ago as part of the council's move to introduce pay and display parking in town centre streets.

Shaun Lacey, the other partner in the firm, has registered complaints with council parking bosses but said he has been told if the firm wanted the

ticket machine to be moved they would have to pay for it.

He said: "We shouldn't have to pay to have the meter moved because the council should not have put it there in the first place.

"Since it has arrived we have been robbed three times - twice in just over a week. Valuable roofing slate has been taken so the thieves must know what they are looking for.

"It is really not an intelligent place to have put this machine when just moving it a few meters in either direction would have prevented all this.

"If any thought at all had gone into it then no one in their right mind would have put it here."

A police spokeswoman confirmed that there had been three burglaries at the firm on September 1, 5 and 13. She said that on at least two occasions the means of entry to the supplies yard appeared to be way of the pay and display ticket machine.

The spokeswoman added: "It would appear that the machine is providing a way of gaining access to the property and this has been recorded in the crime report. Scenes of Crime officers have visited the firm and are currently making further enquiries."

Coun Andy Kay, Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive member for regeneration, said: "We have received a complaint and will be visiting the site to look at the location of our equipment and consider any actions which may come out of the visit."