VANDALS have been warned they face prosecution if they do not stop pulling a sign down on a quiet estate.

The culprits have been striking in Sandpiper Close, Brookhouse, Blackburn, ripping down a residents-only parking sign.

Residents are so proud of their neighbourhood that they have even taken to putting the sign back up when they find it on the ground.

The laminated paper sign was put up in the close by Blackburn with Darwen Council in October to warn of the introduction of a residents-only parking scheme.

Now the local authority is warning that any sign saboteur caught in the act will face prosecution and a fine of around £70.

Alice Tomlinson, 74, a retired secretary, has put the sign back up twice with sticky tape, and she blamed children for the vandalism.

"I think it's probably just kids ripping it down, so we have put it back up, it's not nice to have litter lying around," she said.

When the Lancashire Telegraph visited the estate the sign had been ripped down again, and Mrs Tomlinson said she was planning to put it back up.

Mrs Tomlinson acknowledged the sign was probably no longer needed as most people who needed to know about the new parking regime did now as it was introduced in the middle of October.

"But I would not want to complain about the council, they have done a great job around here chopping down the bushes."

Rita Taylor, 69, added: "Our estate is so lovely, we hate to see litter. If I see any I go and pick it up.

"If the sign comes down you don't know what to do with it because it belongs to the council."

Coun Mohammed Khan, executive member for housing and neighbour hoods, said: "If a witness is prepared to come forward having seen the notice being taken off and sign a statement to that effect the council can prosecute the culprit."