Tree saplings destroyed in Leighton Buzzard's Pages Park after 'mindless' vandalism

'Mindless vandals' destroyed six tree saplings yesterday evening, just over a month after the saplings were first planted.

An upset reader contacted the LBO this morning to notify us about the damage to the beautiful trees, one of which had only been planted this May to mark the 50th anniversary of the Leighton Buzzard National Women’s Register in 2020.

Gangs of "intimidating youths" were spotted in the park last night, while Leighton-Linslade Town Council says that a video recording by a member of the public has been sent to Bedfordshire Police.

The reader, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I thought the LBO should be aware that groups of youths vandalised and destroyed all the saplings in Pages Park last evening.

"We didn’t witness it but a lady we spoke to on the park mentioned gangs of intimidating youths when she walked her dog yesterday evening.

"It’s really disheartening and mindless. The council do a fantastic job of keeping the park lovely.

"I feel saddened at the mindlessness of this and I know many other members of the local community feel the same."

A Leighton-Linslade Town Council spokesman, said: "We are saddened to see six of our newly planted lime trees have been snapped in what can only be described as a thoughtless and selfish act. We will remove the remains of the trees over the coming days and replace the trees in the autumn with large stock.

"A video recorded by a member of the public has been shared with the police, and the town council hopes that the teenage boy and two girls can be identified."

Heather de Lacey, local organiser at Leighton Buzzard NWR, said: "Leighton Buzzard NWR were very sad and disappointed to hear the news that 'our' very newly planted tree has been vandalised. We wanted to mark our group's 50th anniversary and thought a tree would be a permanent feature that would not only benefit the community, but also help the environment."