Garden gutted by heartless thieves

9:39am Tuesday 22nd July 2008

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When retired carer Sarah Carr came home from holiday she knew something was wrong.

"My daughter picked me up from the station and she was too quiet," said the great grandmother. "I knew something wasn't right."

When they got to Sarah's home in Heol Glyndwr, Fishguard, her daughter burst into tears: her garden had been broken into and completely gutted by heartless thieves who had taken everything from the water features to small shrubs.

Sarah's daughters spent three weeks in January transforming the garden for their grieving mother as a way of helping her get over the death of a close friend.

Since then the whole family had pitched in with presents of garden furniture, ornaments and plants, hoping their mum could enjoy her retirement pottering about among the plants, now it was all gone.

"They took nearly everything," said Sarah.

"They took the mower, strimmer and hedge cutters, my picnic bench, a patio table and chairs, two fountains, they even dug up small trees and shrubs and broke the hanging basket hooks off the wall."

The thieves also stole solar lights, flowers and plants in their pots, a hose pipe, fence paint and all Sarah's gardening equipment.

The 64-year-old has put an appeal for unwanted garden equipment onto recycling website Freecycle in the hope that she might be able to restore her garden to its former glory. In the meantime she hopes other gardeners will learn from her experience.

"I would warn people to be extra careful," she said.

"It'll take time for me to enjoy being out here again. I wake up in the morning now and think 'is there anything else gone?' There's not much left to take now."

If anyone has any information on the theft, which took place before July 9th, they are asked to contact PC183 Boorman at Fishguard police station on 0845 330 2000.