YOUNG yobs caused £3,000 worth of damage when they broke into the former Lar-de-dars nightclub and threw masonry off the roof, wrecking a car parked outside.

Two youths broke into the Willow Street building at around 4pm on Saturday and managed to get on to the roof, where they pulled up a heavy piece of stonework and threw it off the top.

The masonry hit a Ford Ka which was parked on Willow Street, virtually destroying it.

Police were called to the scene and arrested the two culprits who were dealt with by a police caution.

Sergeant Ian Corbett of Accrington Police said: "The building has been a problem for us in the past as it is insecure and people have sometimes gone in trespassing."

Willow Street was cordoned off after the incident while the area was made safe.

The former club has been closed since Novem-ber last year following a major slump in business.

Since then, Accring-ton-based DAC Architects, of Eagle Street, have submitted a planning application on behalf of Mr D Longworth of Poulton-le-Fylde to convert the building into 40 apartments.

The submitted application is for a two-storey complex which would include a courtyard and a roof-level walkway.

If approved, it would also see the premises expand from 1,632 square metres to 2,582 square metres, but it does not include additional parking facilities.

l The building originally served as the home of Accrington Arts Club, and opened its doors as a nightclub in 1982 following a £1M refurbishment.

During its time as a nightclub it went by several names under various owners, and at its peak in the late 1980s it was the most popular club in Accrington.

Earlier this year Hyndburn Council instal-led a CCTV camera on Willow Street near the former club as part of a scheme to make the area safer.