A PENSIONER devoted to caring for her disabled husband was devastated after vandals wrecked her only sanctuary - her beloved garden.

Joyce Instan, aged 77, has provided round-the-clock care for 79-year-old Cecil for the past seven years after he suffered a major stroke.

The only time she has to herself is the occasional hour a week she spends on the plot of land at the side of her Hallow home.

The pensioner's valiant efforts at juggling her roles of carer and gardener have made her a much-loved figure in the village, near Worcester.

But months of hard work were ruined in minutes when yobs trampled the area and flattened dozens of chrysanthemums, dahlias and roses.

"I just can't believe it has happened. The garden is my sanctuary and I just can't understand why someone would want to do this to me," she said.

"Residents in the village know how hard I work looking after Cecil and they're always telling me I should get out more.

"They love seeing me in my garden and always stop to have a chat. Many of them go away with some of my flowers and I often give some bunches to the local church.

"But now I have lost a whole year's work. People ask me how much it cost to put everything in, but it's not about the money - to me, what I have lost is just priceless."

The attack came at the start of National Carers Week, which encourages carers to find time for themselves.

Police have been contacted about the Saturday night incident, but say they could not do anything about the vandalism because nobody witnessed the crime.

"I think some youngsters decided to have a 'good time' on my garden," said Mrs Instan.

"I have lived here 40 years and nothing like this has happened before.

"I'm not going to let them get the better of me, and I'm certainly not going to tidy it all up - I want everyone to see what has happened."