Vicar furious after trespassers leave dog muck and beer bottles all over Leyland church's remembrance garden

St Ambrose Church in Leyland has been targeted by unknown trespassers who targeted the garden, which is maintained by selfless volunteers.

The situation is so bad the vicar of the Moss Lane church, the Reverend Duncan Clarke, has had enough.

He now wants to get the message out to the Leyland community that “people should know better”.

Mr Clarke said: “It all started last week. I went to church on Sunday morning at 6am.

“There’s a lady that does all our gardens for us, she even brings out flowers paid for from her own pocket.

“Yet someone had ripped up some paper and bags of dog muck up on the garden and spread it all over.

“There rubbish and empty beer bottles too. It’s disgusting.

“Then I found out it happened last week as well.”

Mr Clarke who was ordained to The Church of Wales more than 40 years ago, added: “We went in for our service at around half eight [in the morning] and came out at around 9.20am – and in that time someone had chucked a bottle of urine on to the garden.”

He added: “It’s a memorial garden. People want to come there to remember their loved ones. Not see this.”

Mr Clarke also revealed Moss Lane as a whole is “turning in to a nightmare for residents”, with 12 car wing mirrors vandalised overnight the weekend before.

But some of the incidents weren’t reported to Lancashire Police, with Mr Clarke explaining: “Some owners think it’s a waste of time to report to the police.

“There’s no policing going on in the area.

“Residents aren’t getting the protection they deserve.”

A letter from Seema Kennedy to residents on April 2 also reveals how there have been 167 incidents in Moss Lane in the last year, with more than 500 since 2015.

“There is something going on in the area,” he added.

“There are groups of youths hanging around and they should know better.

“We need to get this message out in to Leyland to let people know what is happening because it has gone beyond the pale. It’s just awful.”

Last week the Guardian covered the damage to wing mirrors, with victims taking to social media to vent their frustration at the callous vandalism.

Lancashire Police did not comment when contacted by the Guardian.