VANDALS have wrecked a York allotment which was used by mental health services in the city as a place to help patients recover.

Peter Moore, one of the nurses behind The Allotment Club at Bustardthorpe, near Knavesmire, said shed windows had been smashed and a bonfire lit on a garden area dedicated to the memory of a deceased colleague.

Some tools were also damaged by the fire and Mr Moore said the vandals had poured creosote on to the ground and trampled shrubs.

“They have just generally trampled over everything,“ he said.

“They have damaged tools and definitely set fire to a saw but we won’t know what else until we start searching.

“They have also poured creosote over grass and paving stones, which will now have to be replaced.”

The attack occurred some time between 10pm last Sunday and 1am on Monday and it is understood the vandals used fences from other allotments at the site to make the bonfire.

Mr Moore said: “We are really upset because we have seen it come on gradually over a lot of time and the patients are also going to be very upset.

“It’s going to cost quite a lot to replace, but it’s more about the time and work that has gone in to it. When I told the rest of the team the mood was to get back on to it, but it’s not easy.”

“We picked that allotment because it was quite out of the way and not prone to vandalism.”

A spokesman for York Police confirmed they were called to the site at 7.15am on Monday and that two teenagers were arrested in the area in connection with incident.

A 17-year-old was given a youth reprimand and a 16-year-old was charged with burglary and theft and will appear at York Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, April 19.