Alness vandals slammed after trees flattened at park in the Easter Ross town; the damage was spotted on Saturday morning and widely circulated; and community-spirited individuals had replanted the saplings by Sunday morning
Furious residents of an Easter Ross town have slammed mindless vandals who flattened newly-planted trees in a popular local park.
Residents in Alness awoke to widespread damage in Crowle Park on Saturday, with multiple saplings and their supporting frames uprooted and scattered around.
The damage sparked outrage among a town which has strong community-spirit and a proud history of success in the likes of Britain and Scotland in Bloom for its horticultural and floral displays.
Cromarty Firth ward councillor John Edmondson said it was disappointing to see, especially given the many positive things that are happening within the Alness community.
“There’s a lot of good things happening in Alness. A lot of people are very invested in the community and it’s very upsetting for them to see this,” he said. “It’s a great town to live and and work so it’s upsetting.”
The Highland councillor added that anti-social behaviour, more widely, was an issue that seemed to have grown more prevalent in the UK following the pandemic and he felt the causes needed to be explored and addressed by all parts of society.
Anger at the damage to the trees was also strong on a local community group. Speaking on an Alness Facebook page, former Highland councillor Maxine Smith, who resigned from her Cromarty Firth ward seat earlier this month, said: "I can't get over how destructive humans can be. It's sooo utterly disgusting."
Others in the community agreed. William Miller said: "No respect, no shame and no guidance on right and wrong, we reap what we sow and my generation would get anything from a skelped **** to a day or two's grounding.
Natasha Macaskill said: "Awww that's terrible, we were down there at 7ish and they were absolutely fine!"
Others were hopeful that the culprits might have been caught in the act on local CCTV, and urged people to report it and any other incidents of vandalism in the picturesque town.
Ken MacDonald said: "Trail camera located in different locations will help police find the culprits."
However, while the damage was upsetting for many, Cllr Edmondson’s comments about Alness’s tight community spirit was also firmly in evidence in the aftermath - with the trees already replanted and standing upright once again by Sunday morning thanks to the efforts of others in the town.
Gemma Lennox added: "Also please report if you haven't already to police as they keep a note of the vandalism occurring."
Police said the incident had not yet been reported to them when approached for information on Saturday morning.
