Gardaí are investigating an incident of criminal damage to trees that occurred on the Tara Road in Bettystown, Co. Meath.
The incident occurred some time between Tuesday night (April 23) at 11:00p.m and Wednesday morning (April 24).
Bettystown Tidy Towns team have since launched a fundraiser to help replant the trees.
The team said that the damage costs are worth about €5,000.
According to the Bettystown Tidy Towns chair, Liam Keane about 10 trees were damaged and thrown into a field across the road from where they had been planted.
Just a month ago, one other tree in the same location was damaged.
He said it is “frustrating” for all of the volunteers who spend “thousands of hours” working on community projects.
There are about 50 trees and over 1,000 native saplings along the road, along with a small forest of over 300 saplings, which have been planted by the team.
Plans in Bettystown
The plan is to create a line of trees along the road, which has a walking and cycling path.
“We have never had any type of vandalism before, so hopefully gardaí can get to the bottom of it.
“In the plans it looked fantastic, and just to see it all destroyed overnight is so frustrating,” Keane said.
Keane said the plan now is to replant trees using money from the fundraiser, which has already reached its goal.
“That funding could have been put towards another project to advance works,” Keane said.
Bettystown Tidy Towns have also connected an irrigation system that will come from a stream and pump water to every tree along the road.
It planted each of the roundabouts with pollinator friendly plants, such as lavenders and is also finishing the creation of a garden with 300 perinnial pollinator friendly plants.
Anyone with information or dashcam footage of the damage to trees in the area has been asked to contact Gardaí.