THIEVES and vandals have left community leaders counting the cost after yet another attack on their village.

Efforts by Penycae Community Council to improve their village have repeatedly been trashed by mindless yobs.

The latest attack saw more than a dozen newly planted shrubs stolen from the Poplar Road Recreation Ground.

Susan Hallard, Penycae Community Council clerk, said councillors feel everything they do in the village is vandalised.

"We had a scheme to improve the recreation ground with a £3,000 Tidy Towns grant," she said.

"Three members of the community council planted 50 shrubs on April 4 and when they went down on April 5, 19 had disappeared.

"This was done for the community to make the park look nice. They must have gone past and seen what was being planted and come back in the dark and taken them."

This is the latest in a catalogue of anti-social attacks in Penycae.

In February the Leader reported how vandals targeted a BMX track near Afoneitha playing fields causing more than £1,000 worth of damage.

And last month vandals struck again and uprooted and smashed bins on the new BMX track and smashed up bird boxes at the Poplar Road Rec.

The village's multi-use games area has also been damaged. Vandals tore up bits of the artificial grass on three separate occasions causing £1,500 worth of damage.

Now members of the community council are starting more improvements on the village's memorial garden and creating flower beds in the village, but they are worried their hard work will be destroyed.

"Now we're worried if we spend money making more improvements is that going to be vandalised as well?" said Mrs Hallard.

“It all comes out of the community council budget."

Mrs Hallard said the latest incident has been reported to North Wales Police, but added she is concerned the yobbish behaviour will get worse when police cuts come in force on May 4.

"We've asked for more patrols, " she said. "In the old days you had a police officer in the village and nobody dared misbehave because the village bobby knew everyone and would tell your parents.”

Police are appealing for any witnesses to contact them on 101.