A LANDSCAPE gardener has come to the rescue of youngsters whose play area was destroyed by vandals.

Staff were horrified by the damage -- estimated to be £1,000. Wooden furniture and play equipment at Spring Hill Nursery School in Fairfield Street, Accrington, was demolished.

But help has come in the form of landscape gardener Gary Walsh, of Lifestyle Landscapes based in Clitheroe.

Father-of-two Gary read about the youngster's plight in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and volunteered his services. Gary said: "I felt sorry for the kids not having something to play on and when you see there little faces you realise it was terrible."

Gary and colleague Stephen Wilson spent all day yesterdayat the school and hope to finish off today, putting off a number of paid jobs to do the work for free.

Gary, who usually charges £10 an hour per man for his work, said: "I bought a bench and made two other benches, a bridge and a kind of summer house which should look good. The vandals had better not come back again."

The play area is a transformed piece of wasteland which the school spent £1,000 turning it into an attractive haven six years ago.

Teacher Sue Hooley said the children had been so upset without a place to play and expressed the school's gratitude to Gary and Stephen. She said: "It is wonderful to think they just rang up to help us in such a big way. We are very very grateful."