Around 20 trees that were planted in a Cardiff park just months ago have been destroyed by vandals. The cherry blossoms in Heath Park have been snapped in half just months after they were planted, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
The Japanese cherry trees, or 'sakura', were planted in January in a special ceremony celebrating 150 years of friendship between Wales and Japan. Gifted to the city as part of the Sakura Cherry Tree Project, it was planned that the trees would form an avenue of cherry blossom in the park.
However, the trees will no longer be seen in full bloom after they were destroyed in what local councillors have described as an "incredibly disappointing" act of vandalism. Get the latest news from across Cardiff sent straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletter.
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Cardiff council has confirmed that it has begun the process of sourcing trees to replace those that have been destroyed and it will cost around £4,000.
Japanese delegates, local councillors, the Lord Mayor of Cardiff and pupils from Ysgol Mynydd Bychan, Birchgrove Primary School and Ton Yr Ywen Primary School all attended January's planting ceremony. It was hoped that the trees would remain in the park long into next century as "a long-lasting symbol of the mutual understanding" between Wales and Japan.
Councillor Jennifer Burke-Davies, who is cabinet member with responsibility for parks tweeted on Monday that the vandalism made her "absolutely sick". In a further statement, she condemned the completely unacceptable" act and urged those with information to report the crime.
She said: "“These trees were only planted in January and were meant to symbolise friendship and understanding so for them to be subject to such mindless destruction is sickening. It’s a deliberate act of vandalism, a crime, and I fully condemn this completely unacceptable behaviour. Our parks team are in the process of assessing the full extent of the damage and will be reporting the incident to the police. I would urge anybody who has any information related to this incident to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Labour ward councillor Graham Hinchey said the destruction of the trees was "incredibly disappointing," especially having witnessed the planting of them six months ago. He added that there were plans to have PCSOs present in the park during the evenings in order to combat similar acts of vandalism.
"I was there at the planting ceremony in January and I was joined by other local members and school children too," he said. "It was a great occasion so to see the trees destroyed a few months later is absolutely terrible.
"I'm disappointed in the amount of vandalism that is going on not just in Heath but across the city. I have been in touch with the police inspector who is going to portion some extra evening resources, like PCSOs there. This vandalism isn't happening during the day, it's happening late at night, as with the damage to the play area and the occasional fires that have been started there too. It's also not just happening at Heath Park either, it's a city wide problem and is probably happening right across the country too."
He added: "What we want to do is find out who is actually doing this and I'd ask people to report anything they know to either local police or local members. If you have any evidence, please bring it forward as we want to catch the people who are damaging such a beautiful park. I walk there every day and when I talk to people they're as disappointed as we all are."
In September, 20 of the same cherry trees were gifted to Bute Park after "mindless" vandals who caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage in a "dark and sinister" attack last year. In September, more than 50 trees were destroyed in the city centre park, while plants, planters, and manhole covers were broken and bins were ripped from the concrete.
Later that month, hundreds of people took part in a march to reclaim the park in what was described by organiser and café owner Melissa Boothman as a "friendly show of solidarity and resistance" and a "positive counteraction" to the vandalism.
A spokesperson for Cardiff Council said: "More than 20 cherry trees, forming part of a newly planted avenue in Heath Park were vandalised this weekend. The trees were gifted to the park as part of The Sakura Cherry Tree Project which was created to celebrate 150 years of friendship between Wales and Japan. The process of sourcing replacement trees has already begun, with the cost of replanting estimated to be in the region of £4,000.
"Despite this, and other recent incidents, such as the vandalism of Bute Park in autumn last year, Cardiff remains one of the UK’s safest cities, with the second lowest overall crime rate of the English and Welsh core cities. The council works with partners through the Community Safety Partnership to ensure the city’s publicly accessible green space remains safe and potential measures to deter crime and anti-social behaviour, such as improved lighting, are currently being considered."
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