Vandals destroy entire newly planted orchard

The 25 trees were planted six months ago in Victory Park in Barnoldswick

All the fruit trees in a newly planted community orchard in Lancashire have been vandalised.

The 25 trees were planted six months ago at the Barnoldswick Town Council Orchard in Victory Park, Barnoldswick.

Local councillor, Chris Church, has urged anyone who knows what happened to get in touch, and said the damage was "absolutely awful".

"There's 25 all laid out, all just either snapped off or pulled up," he said.

'Planned and deliberate'

"It must have been a planned effort. It must have taken them a good few minutes to do.

"It wasn't just a passing person ripping a tree up," he said.

Councillors are asking for anyone who may have seen someone behaving suspiciously in the area between 18:30 BST on Monday and 07:00, or anyone who may have phone or doorbell images, to contact the council on 01282 788090.

"This must be a planned and deliberate attack for someone to damage so many trees," they said.

"We are hoping someone can come forward and help us to find the culprits."