A GRIEVING son today blasted thugs who pelted his car with bricks as he drove away from East Lancashire hospice - an hour after the death of his dad.

Raiders had earlier broken into Chris Hampson's vehicle and stolen flowers which he had bought for his father Trevor.

The bricks were thrown at Mr Hampson's car as he left the hospice at Park Lee, Blackburn, with his wife Annette and nine-month-old son Thomas James an hour after his father's death from cancer.

Mr Hampson, of St James Mews, Church, said he could not believe it when he left the hospice at midnight to find his car had been broken into.

A door had been forced and a radio, his father's flowers and his son's baby food stolen while it was parked in the hospice car park.

He said: "As we drove out of the car park there were five or six little thugs lobbing bricks at us, aged about eight to 15.

"My little son was in a baby seat in the back. A brick hit the side of the car and dented it.

"We all know scum exists, but you just can't believe these things go on."

His wife said she was terrified by the attack and had been told by nurses that they were sometimes afraid to go out in the evenings.

Dr Peter Carter, locum medical director of the hospice, which is next to the disused Park Lee Hospital, said car break-ins were a long-standing problem, but he had never heard of children throwing stones at cars.

He said: "It's a distressing incident for him and there have been distressing incidents for patients, visitors and staff.

"Since Park Lee Hospital closed, it's acknowledged that there are security problems.

"We have had children playing round the entrance and climbing on the walls, but apart from making the whole place like Fort Knox there's very little we can do about it."

He said Blackburn NHS Trust confirmed last week that a new security system will be installed, including high-level lighting around the car park and security lighting on the hospice building.

Security will be re-examined when an extension is built to the hospice this year.

Police said they were investigating the incident but were not aware of any long-term problems in the area.

Chris and Annette Hampson thanked staff nurses Barbara Buckle and Debbie Holgate for looking after Trevor Hampson so well.

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