HEARTLESS vandals have wrecked a garden built in the grounds of a Lostock Hall school in memory of a young schoolgirl who died last year.

Nine-year-old Jennifer Waddington was a pupil at Our Lady and St Gerard's RC Primary School, in Lourdes Avenue, Lostock Hall, when she lost her battle for life against the disease cystic fibrosis at Easter time.

Her death was a huge loss to staff and pupils at the school and her classmates organised a special day to raise money for a memorial garden at the school in dedication to the youngster.

The garden was unveiled last year in memory of Jennifer and is used by her classmates and other pupils as a happy area of quiet contemplation.

But over the weekend the picturesque garden was vandalised and the seating area was sprayed with aerosol paint.

All week staff have tried in vain to scrub the furniture clean -- it will require a strong chemical solution to bring it back to its former glory.

Now headteacher Elaine Brotchie is calling on local building merchants to come to the rescue and donate a product to do the job.

She added: "The children raised money for the garden to be built.

"It is a lovely place for the children with seating and a chair donated by one of our parents. There's also an engraving dedicated to Jennifer, created by a past pupil who is now a stonemason.

"It is very sad that someone has done this. It shows no respect for a garden such as this and what it signifies."