MINDLESS vandals have chopped down two trees in a city park.

Police are trying to find out who targeted the tulip and Indian bean trees in Fort Royal Park, off London Road, Worcester, on Friday night.

City councillor Lynn Denham, chair of the Friends of Fort Royal Park and Commandery Gardens, described the criminal damage as 'really sad'.

She said: "The tulip tree was attached to a post and they cut the tie away from the post and pushed it over.

"They must have used a knife to cut the cable tie, which is a bit worrying.

"They weren't big trees. They were about three-years-old.

"The tulip tree was planted by the Friends of Fort Royal Park gardening group, one of the particular members of that group has since died. It was a part of him that was still in the park.

"It seems really sad that it was volunteers that planted that tree and someone's come along and taken a swing at it and for some reason destroyed it and that's really sad.

"The other tree was donated to the park by a member of public.

"I don't understand why anyone would destroy them. Why did the giraffe in Fort Royal Park get knocked over and carried away?

"Hopefully we will replace the trees. They have been dug out now. We will be looking for the city council to replace them. It's a much-loved, beautiful park and the trees make it."

Cllr Denham said she found out about the damage through a Twitter post on Saturday.

She added: "Everything was fine when the gardener finished work on Friday. On Saturday afternoon he saw the damage while walking his dogs in the park."

Both Worcester City Council and West Mercia Police have been informed of the damage.

A spokesman for the police said: "Two established trees have had their trunks snapped.

"We believe that the trunks have been cut with a sharp object then snapped."

Anyone with information can ring the police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting incident number 0178s of October 23.

There will be a family fun Halloween event in Fort Royal Park and the Commandery from 5pm to 7pm on October 31.

To donate to the Friends of Fort Royal Park and Commandery Gardens email ajh162@outlook.com