Vandals destroy trees in Viking Field

A WOKINGHAM Neighbourhood Action Group is vowing to step up its surveillance in a bid to stamp out vandalism in a popular park.

Earlier this month, a commemorative tree planted in Viking Field, off Evendons Lane, was smashed up and a name plaque removed.

Daffodils that had started to emerge in time for spring had also been damaged in the carnage.

The mess was found by members of the Wokingham Town and Evendons Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) in the early hours on Saturday, and they acted quickly to repair the damage.

Ken Rowlands, who chairs the NAG, told The Wokingham Paper: “We noticed the damage on Saturday, March 10.

“The tree was broken but was repairable, which we did on the following Tuesday morning.

“A dog walker found the plaque over in an adjacent field.”

While it looked like the immediate crisis was over, by the next day all the good work had been undone.

Mr Rowlands said: “I went back in on Wednesday morning and the tree had been knocked over again, plaque was missing again and the daffodils had been dug up.

“It’s happening a lot at the moment in Wokingham.”

He added: “I’m unhappy to say the least.

“This is a memorial to Yvonne Woodrow, she used to walk around Viking Field and she was a lovely lady.

“This has never happened before.”

The NAG is looking at purchasing some kind of CCTV system to catch the culprits in action.

“I think they are quite cheap now but the quality of the images is clear. Police want photographs, this is ideal.”

And Mr Rowlands had also spotted some damage to the adjacent Leslie Sears Playing Field, including two broken wine bottles.

“I think it’s all part and parcel of the same incident,” he said.