NURSERY staff have condemned the “mindless vandalism” which left a children’s garden wrecked for the third time in as many years.

Staff at Quince Tree Day Nursery, in Quince Tree Close, South Ockendon, arrived on Monday morning last week to find the garden they had put together for their children had been torn up and strewn across the neighbouring children’s park.

Vandals kicked down fences to get into the grounds before digging up soil and throwing it around, smashing chairs and taking letters of the alphabet off the walls and throwing them.

Manager Nikki Anderson said the nursery had resisted installing CCTV in the past because of funding issues, but now they had no choice.

She said: “We’re going to have to find the money.

“The children can’t use the garden now, so they’ve had to stay indoors. It’s mindless vandalism.”

Anyone with information can call the police on 101.