POLICE have vowed to catch the vandals who trashed a school’s new garden.

Pupils and teachers at Broughton Primary School were left heartbroken when they returned to school this week to discover their new garden and sheds had been destroyed by “mindless” vandals.

The state-of-the-art garden, sheds and polytunnel, installed thanks to the help of Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme last year, had been defaced during the two-week holiday, causing £2,000 worth of damage.

South Flintshire Inspector Darren Whibberley said the police have CCTV and the names of three suspects they believe are responsible.

He said: “This mindless vandalism has caused distress to the children, and created anxiety for the children as they now feel less safe.

“Pupils at the school are very keen for us to find the perpetrators and we’re seeking to identify three juveniles we believe are responsible.

“CCTV and the names of teenagers have been provided and enquiries are ongoing.

“Anyone with any more information, please get in touch.”

The damage is believed to have been caused between January 6-8.

Speaking to the Leader earlier this week, headteacher Melissa Kendrick said it was a “soul destroying” way to begin the new year.

She said: “It was a shocking thing to find, and is shocking to think when everyone else is in the festive mood, some people have done this.

“The children were mortified by it, they couldn’t believe it either.

“They’ve broken into all the sheds, the storeroom, and have thrown all the emulsion paint around the caretaker’s cupboard which will take a lot of cleaning up.

“The garden sheds, which were padlocked, have all been kicked off and the polytunnel has been slashed.”

Mrs Kendrick explained that the school is used as a ‘hub’ for the whole of Broughton and is the perfect location for groups such as the Brownies, the drama club and the gymnastic clubs to gather.

She added that it was a “really distressing” thought how “mindless” individuals could set out to cause havoc.

“A lot of time, hard work and effort went into the Bags of Help scheme, and a lot of people supported us by helping us erect the garden to keep the cost down.

“It’s around £2,000, the cost of the damage. Volunteers and parents working in the garden club are devastated too.”

Anyone with information can contact North Wales Police by phoning 101, quoting reference number W001803.