They have defaced the Lord Ashton Memorial Fountain in the Rose Gardens with foul and offensive graffiti.

All four sides of the historic monument have been scrawled upon - less than three weeks since the last torrent of foul messages were painted over by Fylde Council parks staff.

The sickening graffiti is not the work of one or two youths but a whole gang - evident from the different handwriting in coloured felt-tip pen on what they have renamed 'The Jesus Wall'.

The messages are not only obscene but profane - certain to upset passers by.

The Express has no intention of publishing any of the grafitti here, in order not to offend readers.

But we have no hesitation in publishing the names of those named on the
memorial in the hope that they may be identified - at least by their parents - and disciplined for this latest act of wanton destruction.

The youths include: Jamie, Emileen, George, Lily, Andy, Rodger, Charlotte, Sophie, Matt, Laura, Kirstie and Sammie.

PC Andy Johnson, Community Beat Manager for Ashton Ward, said: "I have been here for 12 years and this has been an ongoing problem.

"What we have been doing is to step up patrols in the past year or so and we also have a notebook with different graffiti artist's tags that are used around the area which means that sometimes we can match the graffiti with the offender.

"If caught they are dealt with by various means, one of which is known as restorative justice, which means they could end up cleaning the graffiti off.

"If anyone has any details about the graffiti they can contact me on (01253) 604697."

The memorial fountain recognised Lord Ashton's gift of Ashton Gardens to the town in January 1914. The gardens remain a popular attraction for holidaymakers and residents alike and the fountain is just a stroll away from major construction work on a new Pavilion, the centrepiece of a £2m regeneration scheme.
In April a former policeman criticised police after suffering abuse at the hands of yobs in Ashton Gardens.
Gordon Whittles of Lynwood Park, Warton, called for local police to work more with the community to help stamp out anti-social behaviour in the park.
Fylde Inspector Sue Swift said at the time that there were dedicated neighbourhood policing teams in the St Annes area and Ashton Gardens were a high priority for patrols.
A Fylde Borough Council spokesperson said: "It is a real shame that in the midst of the massive refurbishment of Ashton Gardens someone has seen fit to vandalise the memorial.
"Graffiti is such a rare occurrence but when it is done to a historical monument like this it has a real affect on the community who visit the park regularly.
"Obviously we will be removing the graffiti and looking in to anti-graffiti coatings as part of the regeneration project that will see the memorial fully restored.
"In the mean time all we can do is bring this incident to the attention of the police and clean the graffiti off. Anyone found to be vandalising Council property will be dealt with."
Fred Moor, Chairman of Supporters of Ashton Gardens, said: "It's always disappointing when it happens and from time to time people feel the need to make their mark in the wrong way. We're hoping to do the monument up with a lottery grant which we are going to apply for."