Angry residents and councillors have hit out at yobs who vandalised and destroyed Nantwich town centre flower beds and planters on consecutive nights.
These images and video show how vandals wrecked the tireless work done by Nantwich in Bloom volunteers to add colour to the town prior to the arrival of Britain in Bloom judges earlier this month.
Today Nantwich Police confirmed they are reviewing images caught on CCTV cameras in the town square and Pepper Street, in a bid to identify the offenders.
The mindless damage has sparked angry reaction on social media.
Cllr Janet Clowes, of Cheshire East Council, said: “This is so disappointing, especially after Nantwich Town Council and the wider Community worked so hard for the Britain in Bloom competition.
“I have contacted PC Marsden and the CEC Communities Enforcement team to see if we have access to CCTV in the square that might help identify and prosecute these vandals!”
One resident Samantha Benfield, who filmed the video (below), said: “It’s absolutely disgraceful.
“Complete morons ruining pretty things without a care for the volunteers who try so hard to keep our town looking so nice.”
Just wondering what decent folk think about this……taken this morning………absolutely disgraceful. It's been sent to both the chronicle and the council. Complete morons ruining pretty things without a care for the volunteers who try so hard to keep our town looking so nice???????
Gepostet von Samantha Benfield am Sonntag, 29. Juli 2018
Tom Evans, who posted this pic (below), added: “Nantwich is an amazing place to live but every now and again you get the odd one or two who like to trash our beautiful town….people need to grow up.”
While a Jon Clarke added: “Whoever did this obviously has no respect for their home town.
“I’m proud to be from Nantwich! It’s a great place to live and the actions of a few idiots won’t change that. Hope they get caught.”
Sgt Ian Bennett, of Nantwich Police, said: “We are in the process of reviewing the CCTV.
“The offenders appear to be users of the night time economy as opposed to youths.
“Needless to say, if identified they will be dealt with. We have put out an appeal and if we fail to identify those caught on CCTV, we will put out a further appeal to get them identified.”
Anyone with information about the damage is urged to contact Cheshire Police on 101 quoting reference IML 137983.
Between myself and Desmond Evans who work for ANSA i find this so upsetting. We water these daily and maintain them. Every year we have this problem. So so wrong
Possibly an answer to future yob outbursts like this is to forget the pretty but useless council flowers in the same pots year after year again and get real
Maybe thorny plants can be considered: Berberis, Aralia, Chaenomeles, Colletia,
Grabbing those without gloves would send them running to mummy!! ??
I am under 16 and have lived in Nantwich town my whole life. It is terrible what has happened, however please remember not to tarnish all teens with the same brush. I cannot take a stroll into my own town some days without getting dirty looks from adults and the elderly, even though I smile back and take great pride in helping the community. Please bear in mind that not all youths are the same, and I have been brought up to respect my town and everybody within. I hope the offenders have been taught a lesson, but lets not allow this to overthrow all the positives brought to this town by teens and schools.
Absolutely terrible, there should be huge publicity around this time send a strong message that this sort of behaviour won’t be tolerated
A man in his 30’s came out of WH Smith’s opposite Joules today and threw his receipt on the floor. I shouted to him that he had dropped his receipt and he just walked away. It isn’t always young people who litter and vandalise. But these days you can’t say anything as you’ll attract abuse or worse.