Community activists in Doughiska have been left ‘shocked and distraught’ by ‘targeted criminal damage’ to one of the community’s best-used resources.

Volunteers at Merlin Woods Community Garden were horrified last Sunday to discover total destruction at the facility – its orchard, greenhouse and butterfly garden having been torn apart in what they think may have been a “malicious attack”.

Caroline Stanley of Friends of Merlin Woods has been one of the main proponents of the garden since its inception over a decade ago and told the City Tribune of their immense disappointment to see more than 10 years of work from hundreds of volunteers undone in such a callous manner.

The damage is believed to have been caused some time between Tuesday, December 10, and Sunday last, December 15, when it was reported to members of the ARD Gardening Group by a passerby who had noticed the destruction.

Several poles had been broken by the perpetrators in the orchard, while large heavier poles at the butterfly garden were similarly removed – even those that were set in concrete.

And in a strange twist, all of the material – amounting to trailer loads – had been moved to a pile in the limestone area of the woods, some 10 minutes on foot from where the garden is located.

“Those who did this were so meticulous in removing everything from the garden to the limestone area that you would barely have noticed the damage was done. They didn’t drop a single thing and there was no evidence that they tried to burn it.

“It doesn’t look like the work of vandals or kids. What we can’t figure out is how they transported it. I went down yesterday to take the materials out of the limestone area with a wheelbarrow and it was extremely difficult – you could only fit four or five poles on the barrow,” said Ms Stanley.

She said huge effort would have been required to break the poles and it was unclear how many people were involved in wreaking havoc on the garden.

Pictured: The pile of poles which were transported to an area of Merlin Woods 10 minutes’ walk from the garden.