VANDALS have attacked a park memorial again -- just two months after the monument received a £40,000 facelift.

Yobs have struck in Farnworth Central Park, daubing graffiti across the Robert Barnes stone memorial.

The attack is a setback for park bosses who recently gave the memorial a major revamp after it had suffered for years at the hands of vandals.

Bolton Stone Restoration refurbished the memorial and adjoining steps and erected a new perimeter fence.

But vandals scaled the barrier to inflict further damage to the stonework.

Workmen from Bolton Council plan to clean up the monument by today and Town Hall bosses are considering a move to install closed circuit cameras near the memorial.

Cllr Noel Spencer said: "The memorial is virtually covered in grafitti and it's unfortunately becoming a regular occurence. It's infuriating so see it vandalised time and time again.

"It's going from bad to worse."

The park's monuments have become a target for youngsters who damaged the war memorial with hammers and sprayed the stonework with graffiti three weeks ago.

Rangers are monitoring the park on a daily basis in a bid to stop the troublemakers causing more misery.

The Robert Barnes memorial, a tribute to the park's benefactor, was moved from a run-down back street alleyway after it was damaged.

The memorial was put up in 1895 by Farnworth Urban District Council to mark the gift of the park to the town by Robert Barnes in 1864, when it was officially opened by William Gladstone MP.

It has an image of Barnes etched into the stone and was based on photographs supplied by the family.

Cllr Spencer appealed for more people to join the Friends of the Park group to beat the vandals. He said: "People need to get involved as the park is there for us all."