VANDALS went on the rampage at a coach firm's premises, causing £60,000 worth of damage.

Almost every window on two coaches belonging to Dreamline Travel and two more belonging to Gen Travel, based at the same premises in Stancliffe Street, Mill Hill, Blackburn were smashed.

The destruction, discovered at 3pm on Sunday, will cost directors Paul Critchley and Graham Fulcher, thousands of pounds more in lost revenue as it is likely the vehicles will be written off.

Mr Fulcher, 61, director of Gen Travel, said: "I have had those two coaches for only two months and have done a lot of work on them.

"They were due to be inspected this week to be certified for use and now they look like they could be written off.

"I have now got only the one coach and I am facing financial ruin."

Mr Critchley, 43, a director of Dreamline Travel, has already lost thousands of pounds in revenue after having one of his pre-booked coaches confiscated on the way home from a shopping trip to France last month because of the number of cigarettes on board.

He said: "One of these coaches was the one we started our business with years ago and had been bought for me and my partner Leesa by her father.

"It had a certain sentimental value for us and was a classic coach but it's not any more.

"We were going to do it up with parts from the other one that was damaged but we can't now.

"I'm just glad our four main coaches were out on jobs at the weekend or else they might have been damaged too.

"I don't think kids have caused the damage because whoever has done it has forced their way on to the coach and smashed out every window from the inside.

"They have also taken the time to unscrew the dashboards and rip one out on one of the coaches.

"It is sickening what they have done. I just can't understand what goes through these people's heads.

"It has been a terrible end to the year for us after what happened with the coach being confiscated at customs and now this."

Mr Critchley had one of his fleet seized on October 16 at the French port of Coquelles after customs officers found that passengers on board had tobacco with an equivalent value of 700,000 cigarettes.

The coach was returned after three weeks by which time Mr Critchley had lost an estimated £5,000 of revenue.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Blackburn Police on 01254 51212 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.