A GARDEN army is blooming after an appeal to stop vandals trashing a local allotment site.

For years members of the Witton and Garden Allotment Association have been plagued by vandals who have targeted the Buncer Lane site. This week they made their battle public in the hope that the coverage would go some way to alleviating the problem.

And secretary Derek Rogerson today said the plan is working with scores of people offering information.

He said: "I have received quite a number of phonecalls since the article," said Derek. "Some names have cropped up and I have passed them onto the police so the plan seems to be working."

Members have had enough of vandals targeting the allotment site in a spate of random attacks. In the past fortnight alone four separate incidents of sheds being torched have been reported resulting in thousands of pounds of damage.

Blackburn with Darwen Council and police have stepped in to offer help with security but in the meantime "garden army" has sprung up and is on the increase.

Association members have taken to patrol the site with pitchforks looking to ward off would-be attackers and mobile 'phones give them almost instant communication to the police.

Paddy O'Flaghery, who has had an allotment there for three years has even volunteered himself as a voluntary security guard. Helped by his family Paddy will equip himself with a video camera when he patrols the allotments.