YOBS have vandalised more than 100 trees in a Highworth beauty spot.

Volunteers who help to run the Swindon Council-owned Pentylands Country Park, off Pentylands Lane, were left devastated after they discovered that saplings they had only planted in February had been targeted on Sunday evening.

Following a string of similar small-scale offences over the last month, 120 young trees including oaks and ashes – many of which were planted as memorials by local families – had been uprooted, branches broken or de-stabilised.

Ken Saunders, 62, of Highworth, chairman of the Friends of Pentylands Country – the volunteers who tend the area – said: “I could have cried. My wife couldn’t stand to be there and other people have phoned me very distressed.

“The community is very upset about what’s happening and it’s a shame because it creates an anti-young person feeling even against people that are innocent.”

The offenders went on their spree some time between 8pm on Sunday and 7.30am on Monday in the southern field close to the Windrush estate.

Although the 100-acre park, which is open 24 hours a day, has recently suffered from regular damage to the trees, including on Friday and Saturday evening, this was the worst so far.

While some of the three-and-a-half-foot tall trees have been uprooted and must be replaced, in many cases the trees have been bent over or the stakes and sleeves supporting them have been broken off.

In total Mr Saunders believes they have already lost about 30 young trees, but others may not recover from the damage.

The trees were planted on February 14, Valentine’s Day, as part of a community tree planting project run in conjunction with the Great Western Community Forest, which involved 400 residents.

The damage was found by Berit Aherne, 54, of Barra Close, Highworth, who is treasurer of the Friends of Pentylands Country Park.

“I couldn’t believe how many had actually gone down,” she said.

“It looked like they had gone straight down the field with their arms out.”

Each new support sleeve costs £4 and Mr Saunders said he thought costs could spiral past the £1,000 mark.

Though visitors to the park have increased from a few hundred a year in 2005 to 30,000 now, the Friends of Pentylands Country Park usually only has a turnover of £400 so will have to look for outside funding to cover the cost of repairs.

“It’s mindless and it’s disheartening,” said Mr Saunders.

“We want to re-instate the whole thing, but they just keep on damaging it.

“We would like it to stop so we can re-instate them for the benefit of everybody.”

Mrs Aherne said: “It’s very frustrating, it’s even worse because the public planted them.

“When you think about the fact that it is in memorial and someone comes and destroys it, it’s very sad.”