RESIDENTS on a street in Darwen have demanded a controversial path be closed after they woke up to find every car vandalised.

Ten cars were damaged at the weekend with more than £1,000 of damage caused.

The residents on Redvers Road, many of them elderly, said it was the latest in a long list of incidents that has turned their once quiet street into an easy target for vandals.

They said the problems started when a path connecting their street with the new motorway service station was opened three months ago.

They said youngsters, attracted to the McDonald's restaurant, run up and down their street late at night, dropping litter, running across gardens and vandalising property.

Residents said an elderly man spotted a gang of three boys and two girls running down the street, knocking off every wing mirror in the early hours of Saturday. Judith Fisher, of Redvers Road, woke up on Saturday morning to find two of her family's cars vandalised.

She said: "It happened to my car and my father-in-law's. They broke his mirror off completely and bent mine right back so the glass had all smashed. From what I could see they had done it to every car.

"Something needs to be done. It all started when they opened the path to the service station. It needs to be closed. I feel for the elderly who live here, they now have to face a large bill that they shouldn't have to."

Mark Jones, 41, said: "Three weeks ago they did it to my car and I had to pay £50 to £60 for a new mirror and another £50 for labour.

"Something needs to be done. They really need to close the path, it's getting ridiculous!"

Iris Finn, 80, also of Redvers Road, had the mirror to her Proton snapped off and said: "It all stems from when that path was opened three months ago. It never used to be like this.

"There are many elderly people who live here in sheltered accommodation and it is getting beyond a joke.

"A police woman was here on Saturday morning and she told me that an elderly man spotted three boys and a girl run down the street around but he was too scared to go out."

Councillor Mary Leaver, of Earcroft ward, said: "I really feel for the residents who have had to put up with this. Many of them are elderly and they shouldn't have to deal with vandals.

"This is an ongoing problem to do with the path that we are already looking into. All I can say is that we will do our best to help them and get it sorted."

Inspector Graham Ashcroft, of Darwen police said: "We have records that a number of cars were damaged on that road some time between 7pm Friday and 11am Saturday.

"If anyone has any information please can they contact 01254 51212 and ask for Darwen police so we can catch these culprits."