Trees Deliberately Damaged
We’re saddened and frustrated to report that five newly planted trees have been deliberately destroyed in our parks within a week.
Last night three trees were deliberately snapped in half and possibly killed. Just a week ago two young Elm trees, recently planted in Greta Park, suffered the same fate. They were specially bred Resista Elms, grown by Hillier Nurseries and generously donated by the Hampshire Forest Partnership as part of a wider initiative to reintroduce Elms to our area.
These acts of vandalism are not just thoughtless – they are a direct assault on initiatives to improve and care for our shared green spaces and affect the whole community. The trees were planted to enhance biodiversity, provide shade, improve air quality and create a welcoming environment for everyone in Hedge End.
Establishing trees in public open spaces is already a challenge. There’s limited access to water, ongoing pressure from other site users and they require years of care to thrive.
To see three years of work destroyed in one night is incredibly disheartening.
The incident has been reported to the police. We urge anyone who saw anything suspicious or may have any information to get in touch with us or report it anonymously to Hampshire Police by calling 101.