A PROJECT to bring a bandstand back to Blackburn's Queen's Park crashed to a halt when the roof collapsed.

An estimated 13 tonnes of concrete fell to earth, leaving the building a pile of rubble on the ground.

Today it emerged that contractors sealed off in December because of safety fears over the bandstand, which was commissioned by Groundwork Blackburn and Blackburn with Darwen Council to be used as a youth shelter.

Doris Remington, of Queen's Road, which circles the park said: "When I went to bring my milk in the roof was there. I had just sat at the table and I heard a rumbling noise and when I went to the window and looked out the roof had gone."

Another nearby resident said: "The whole house just started shaking. I looked out and the roof had gone."

Nick Riley, from Groundwork Blackburn, said: "The structure was designed and manufactured by a company who specialise in that type of structure and it was a new technique they were trying out, which would make the structure vandal proof.

"Groundwork have implemented the project for the council and we were going for something that is a unique structure. We have been working with Queen's Park and Audley youth groups who said they wanted a contemporary design for the structure rather than a traditional Victorian one.

Despite the setback he added: "We hope the shelter will be complete for June so that we can turn a derelict area of the park into a nice performance area."

Nigel Browne, a partner at contractors Fabric Architecture, said: "We are trying to ascertain what caused the failure but it was probably caused by water which got into he concrete as it was sprayed on to the fabric.

"If this type of technique was used again it would have to be done in better conditions or alternatively we would just use a hard wearing fibre."