Trees planted at a park in Ramsbottom have been vandalised – less than 24 hours after they were put in.
Four out of the five trees planted at Peel Brow have been snapped in half, and they will not be replaced.
Councillor Alan Quinn, cabinet member for the environment, said: “This is disgraceful. What kind of idiot does this?
“A lot of time, effort and money went into planting those trees. It’s criminal that these trees were damaged just hours after being planted.”
They were planted by City of Trees, who have been working in partnership with the Council to create woodlands and orchards, and plant semi mature trees in parks and greenspaces across the borough”
The project at Peel Brow is one of many delivered over the last planting season, along with schemes at Thatch Leach Lane, Whitehead Park and Topping Fold.
Beth Kelsall, delivery coordinator at City of Trees, said: “In March, we worked with a charity called Walking with the Wounded , an organisation that supports ex-service men and women, who planted more than 100 sapling trees to extend an area of existing woodland just off Fir Street.
“To complement the new woodland, last week we planted five semi-mature trees – a mixture of Manchurian cherry and cockspur hawthorn – around the playground and community green space.
“It has taken a lot of time and effort for City of Trees staff and colleagues at the council to develop and implement this scheme, and when the cost of purchasing the trees, materials, and their installation are taken into account, it has been agreed that it is too much of a risk to try and re-plant them.
“It’s such a shame that this has happened, especially for those members of the local community who would have appreciated the trees and the benefits they would have brought to the area.”
