A VANDAL crackdown will see police target a park with undercover officers as well as dog and horse patrols in a bid to beat vandals.

Yobs caused hundreds of pounds of damage by ripping an iron fence from a wall in Corporation Park, Blackburn, last week.

And police said the increase in patrols at the park comes in a bid to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in the improved weather.

Top-of-the-range CCTV cameras are already in place around the historic conservatory and are equipped with night vision, along with improved lighting in the area.

In the last week, police have seized a quad bike from the park, confiscated alcohol and issued a caution to a man for possessing cannabis.

Police Constable Gary Hennighan said: "Most people who come in to the park are decent and law-abiding but, unfortunately, there is the odd one or two who think they can act like idiots.

"An iron fence was pulled out of a wall by vandals recently and I will not tolerate that kind of behaviour. I will use all the powers available to me to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

"I am urging park goers to contact us with any information about nuisance or anti social behaviour, so we can tackle it.

"Last year, we made a determined effort to crack down on anti-social behaviour in the park using a range of methods and it worked.”

He said uniformed and plain-clothed officers would be making extra patrols in the coming months, as well as staging operations involving mounted police and drugs dogs to deter crime and anti social behaviour.

To report any incidents, contact Blackburn police on 0845 1 25 35 45, or contact the local neighbourhood policing team on 01254 581175.