CRUEL vandals have led a spate of attacks on a fleet of minibuses provided for disabled people in Preston.

Co-ordinator of Preston Community Transport John Atkins said increasing acts of 'extreme vandalism' had badly affected services, leaving many vulnerable people without a means of transport.

Now he has been forced to ask for £13,500 in extra funding from the borough and county councils to cover the costs of hiring garages in the hope that this will put a stop to the destruction.

Mr Atkins reckons the culprits are two distinct groups. "Obviously some of them are children who want to go for the biggest, brightest thing to destroy.

"But we also get a lot of vandalism in the early hours of the morning after the pubs close - it looks like these are drunken pranks."

These jokes are no fun for the 2,500 passengers who rely on the service each month and have often found it has been cancelled at the last moment because of vandalism which has forced vehicles to be taken off the road.

Regular incidents included windscreens being smashed and tyres slashed as well as radios stolen from the specially adapted buses.

"Other times people have chucked half bricks at the vehicles - it's just mindless," exclaimed Mr Atkins.

Now the buses have been moved into garages where Mr Atkins hopes out of sight will mean out of mind to vandals.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.