A community garden in Merrivale, which is maintained by a group of dedicated volunteers, was vandalised during the early hours of the morning on Sunday, April 30th, between approximately 2.30am and 6.30am.

Plants were ripped from the ground and thrown all over the street, the colourful floral display was trodden all over and the centre piece of the garden - a tree and its supporting frame - was damaged by vandals.

The garden is located between Lakeside Drive and Merrivale Lane, and many local residents have commented to the volunteers that the sight of the flowers brightens their day.

Each year, the volunteers who look after the garden plant two displays, one for the summer months, and one for the winter. Some local residents, who are not able to help with the physical upkeep of the garden, donate money to help buy the flowers.

Some local residents have an especially strong emotional tie to the garden, as there is a remembrance bench for baby Rhys Davies, who passed in May 2009, which overlooks the flower bed.

But on Sunday morning, at 6.30am, a local woman saw the scene of devastation after vandals had ruined the display as she was heading out for her morning run.

While the group were upset at what had happened, as a lot of their time and effort had gone in to making the area look beautiful, they were determined not to be beaten by the destruction, and a team began repairing the damage that same morning.

One of the volunteers told the Ross Gazette: “The community spirit and comments from passers by about how good it looks and their disgust of what had been done has made us stronger to carry on the voluntary project.”

They added that, after they had posted what had happened on social media, they received hundreds of comments from local people, who gave them their support and said that their hard work was appreciated.

The team are determined to make the area look good again, and will hold a meeting this month, for Merrivale residents to help choose what flowers will be planted for the next summer display.

The incident has been reported to the police, and if any local residents have any information which may help to identify who is responsible for the vandalism, they are urged to call 101 and give the incident reference number 181-S-300414.