A community group, committed to brightening up an Aberdeenshire town, has criticised vandals who ruined their hard work – for two weeks in a row.
Ellon Civic Pride’s planter in the town’s Neil Ross Square was targeted on Saturday night, with roughly 100 daffodil and tulip bulbs torn out of its bottom two tiers.
The incident happened just days after the floral display had been replanted, following the actions of vandals, who ripped them from the soil on the week beginning February 20.
On both occasions, the bulbs were crushed and thrown around the square. And police are now investigating both incidents.
The Ellon Civic Pride group has confirmed its members won’t get their fingers dirty again by sprucing up the planter a third time until they are sure the culprits have been identified.
Their co-ordinator, Frances Watson, said: “Last week, one of the volunteers was walking down and discovered the damage again. We were appalled.
“We take a lot of time and trouble and thought about the flowers for the town. The planter is on four tiers and the top two have not been touched. The first and second have been.
“The bulbs were about two inches into the soil. Where is the mindfulness in just going in and killing the bulbs?
“There were about four ladies including myself and it took us about an hour to set it all out. The rest of Neil Ross Square is also done up with daffodils and tulips to make it look nice.
“The first time, a council landscape officer put back as many bulbs as he could tidy up. We just didn’t think it would happen again.”
Mrs Watson added: “We are just going to leave the two bottom tiers. We have salvaged what bulbs we could. We are not going to do it again until it has settled down. There is really no point at the moment.”
She said local youths were known to hang out at the square.
The group has been running since 2003 and has about 25 members, and has a number of displays around Ellon.
The bulbs would have started coming through in the next month ahead of blooming in time for spring.
Anyone with information on either of the incidents is being urged to contact police on 101.
