VANDALS went on the rampage at the Okehampton Community Garden late on Tuesday night last week (April 23).

They smashed a window to gain entry to the ‘Men in Sheds’ shed and stole an axe.

They then apparently used this to hack their way into the Okehampton Community Garden shed next door, stealing a bench.

The bench was found the following morning smashed up and abandoned in Tappers Meadow next door.

Resident Jane Thompson said she witnessed three boys dragging a heavy object to the play area opposite her house in Tappers Meadow late on Tuesday night.

The following morning, she saw the bench smashed and abandoned.

‘We went up to investigate and it was a community garden bench,’ she said. ‘It had been smashed up and abandoned in Tappers Meadow. With the help of a couple of the men from Men in Sheds we moved it back to the garden.’

She said an attempt had also been made that night to break into her own garden shed.

Linda Harper, from the Okehampton Community Garden, said: ‘Both the community garden and Men in Sheds are projects that are run by volunteers, it is heartbreaking to see such a level of mindless destruction.

‘We have had our beehives knocked over on more than one occasion in the past and despite neighbours reporting any sightings of suspicious behaviour to the police, the offenders have usually moved on by the time the police show up.’

Men in Sheds community member Phil Bush added: ‘A lot of work has gone into building the sheds on the community garden site and working on the grounds to make them something to be proud of – it is very sad to think that someone has taken it into their head to vandalise it in this way.

‘We don’t keep anything of value on site so if they are looking for something to steal they would have been disappointed.  

‘We would ask the public to keep an eye open and tell the police if they see anything suspicious.’