VANDALS have caused hundreds of pounds of damage to a garden at the East Lancashire Hospice.

Yobs ripped up electricity cables and pipes leading to a fish pond at the hospice in Park Lee Road, Blackburn, and stole the pond filter.

The garden, used by patients aims to be a calming place for people to sit.

Rebecca Beaton, director of financial and support services, said: “We are all very upset.

"We rely on the generosity of East Lancashire people and vandalism like this will cost us.

"It is so disappointing that some-thing like this has happened.

“It will cost us to replace the filter and we will have to bring in an electrician to fix the damage.”

The incident happened between Tuesday and yesterday morning.

The pond is around six metres long and is in the garden at the rear of the hospice.

The filter keeps the pond, home to several large goldfish, clean and clear.

The hospice offers palliative care to patients with advanced and progressive life-threatening diseases, particularly those suffering from cancer.

Mrs Beaton said the garden and the pond are part of the “atmosphere of calm” created at the site.

She added “I think someone knew what they were looking for and targeted the filter specifically.”