Preston parks' chiefs have vowed to stop vandals from striking again at Avenham and Miller Parks.

It comes after yobs trashed eight ornate stone urns, worth up to £300 each, in Miller Park sometime between Christmas and New Year.

This followed an attack in February 2006 when vandals caused £28,000 worth of damage to the Victorian balustrade where the urns sit.

And last November, the Boer War Memorial in Avenham Park was damaged after youths set fire to a nearby fence.

Now bosses are meeting with the police and other interested parties to see what can be done to prevent it happening again.

Harvey Thorpe, Avenham and Miller parks' manager, said: "This is mindless vandalism. We're putting in a lot of hard work to improve Avenham and Miller Parks and we're very disappointed that people want to destroy these urns and spoil other people's enjoyment of the parks.

"We have been working with the police and the contractors to ensure that all the features are protected and we will meet with the Friends of Avenham and Miller Parks group to identify ways to limit further damage."

The cost of repairing or replacing the urns, which had only just been installed two weeks ago as part of the £5m Avenham and Miller Parks Restoration Project, could run into thousands. But the cost will be covered by contractors working on the site and not taxpayers.

A council spokesman said: "The site is under the control of the contractors so they will now decide whether to repair or replace the urns."

Avenham and Miller parks were created by renowned landscape architect Edward Milner during the 1860 and are listed as Grade II on the English Heritage Register of Historic Gardens.