MINDLESS vandals tore iron flowers off a new school gate just hours after blacksmiths had welded them on. Devastated head teacher of Cedars Infant School in Blackburn, Liz Beaumont, was shocked to discover the damage when she went to admire the new feature.

She said: "The blacksmiths left at 2.30pm and when I returned at 4.45pm the damage had been done. It is so depressing. The flowers had been designed by the children to complement the new archway. The culprits just threw them away after prising them off. I can't understand how somebody could get pleasure from doing something like this."

The entrance archway, designed around the theme of a cedar tree, was a joint initiative between the school and Blackburn Groundwork Trust.

The attack took place between 2.30pm and 4.45pm on Sunday. Anybody with information about the crime should contact Blackburn Police on 51212.

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