A community has been left angered after a large beloved tree in a popular Nottingham park was vandalised. Pictures from Bulwell Hall Park show the tree, which is thought to be around 200-years-old, covered in red and black graffiti, with a smiling face and large smoking skull painted over it.
Pictures were initially posted in a Bulwell community Facebook page over the weekend but exactly when the vandalism occurred is currently not known. One Labour councillor said it looked to be an old oak tree.
Dog-walkers and residents at the park have labelled the graffiti a "disgrace". The "thoughtless, stupid act" has now put people off walking their normal route through the park.
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Nicola Griffin, 48, a retail manager, said: "I think it's a disgrace to the park and to the people who live here. I really enjoy my walks here, and to see something like this just makes me upset because it's so unnecessary.
"I hope this kind of behaviour doesn't continue." Andrew Johnson, a retired 66-year-old, said: "I've heard there's been some problems with motorbikes too, which shows no respect or thought about other people who want to enjoy the park and feel safe in it.
"This really puts me off. I'd rather walk a different route if I'm honest.”
The much-loved tree dominates its surroundings in Bulwell Hall Park. It towers high above other trees.
Jenny Thomas, 52, from Bulwell, said: "I just think it's so thoughtless, such a stupid act which really affects the area, and done for no reason. I think I've been walking around this park for years with my dog.
"It's a nice little walk, and now it's being ruined by some thoughtless behaviour. Stuff like this happens, but it shouldn't, and it's just such a shame."
Labour councillor Ethan Radford, who represents Bulwell on Nottingham City Council, said the tree looks to be around 200-years-old. He said that the vandalism has been reported to city council officers.
He said: "I saw the Facebook post and have raised it with the city council officers and we will see what we can do going forward. I'm not sure about the history or details of the tree, but I think it looks like an oak tree.
"I think it's been there for a long time. Probably around 200 years."
Hilary Silvester, vice-chair for the Nottingham Civic Society, said "From a civic society standpoint it's a disgrace and sad from all sorts of angles. From the point of the park it's sad because it's a beloved tree and it's something that provides so much for the park.
"We'd be in a poor state if this keeps happening because they're so important from an environmental place. For local people it's something that attracts people to parks.
"Now they're deprived of something that means a lot to them. From our point of view it is disgusting."
Nottingham City Council has been approached for comment.
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