Digging Deeside in Connah's Quay hit by more vandalism

Digging Deeside, which meets every week at Mill Lane allotments in Connah's Quay, has suffered damage to its recently planted sunflowers, garlic and onions.

The plants had been planted and nurtured by many of the vulnerable people Digging Deeside supports, with months of work being ruined.

The scheme, which has suffered as many as a dozen instances of vandalism in the last year, supports and brings together vulnerable people, many who have severe mental health issues or learning difficulties.

Sue Oliver, director, said acts of vandalism and theft have been an issue for the past few years and the need for tighter security is stronger than ever.

• Disgust as vandals strike again at Digging Deeside's allotments

She said: "It's been happening here for years and so have the discussions about getting better methods of security.

"If we could get some CCTV or higher fences from the town council, that's exactly what we need."

And Miss Oliver says incidents like this are having a huge impact on Digging Deeside's vulnerable members.

She added: "It has had a massive impact on Daz (Cooke), he was down every day watering and nurturing these plants.

"For people who are already some of the marginalized and vulnerable in our society to have to deal with things like this is just disgusting.

"Many of them do so well to even come down on a Tuesday, and we works so hard to make them feel at ease in these surroundings, but things like this just wreck all that work in an instant."

And Miss Oliver has appealed for anyone who knows who the perpetrators are to come forward.

She said: "I have no idea who is doing this, but if it is a group there might be one of them who knows what they're doing is wrong, or someone who knows the group which is doing it, please can these people come forward."

A North Wales Police spokesman said: "We were called at 10.10pm on June 22 about vandalism at Mill Lane allotments in Connah's Quay.

"Enquiries in to this incident are ongoing."