VOLUNTEERS keen to create an outdoor community space in Clevedon have had their hard graft blighted by someone intent on sabotaging their efforts.

A group of churchgoers and other interested people have, for the past year, been working on a piece of land next to St Andrew’s Church to create an attractive open space for people to visit.

Once used to graze the town’s seafront donkeys, the Glebe Field off Old Church Road has since been cleared and new tree saplings, donated by the Woodland Trust, have been planted in the hope of creating a low hedge around the boundary to attract more wildlife to the area.

However, since March, saplings planted along the outskirts and also in the middle of the field have been pulled out of the ground or cut at the base.

Even young plants put in next to a bench installed in November in memory of Clevedon teen, Edward Heal who died on Christmas Day in 2011, have been cut down.

Coordinators of the St Andrew’s Glebe Community Project now fear any future plans they have for the site, including planting trees in a nuttery in memory of lost loved ones and also introducing 16 chickens in February, could also be sabotaged.

Eric Holdsworth said: “We had a second lot of saplings from the Woodland Trust which we have been planting in the Glebe.

“People have been along the fence pulling them out of the ground. It is ongoing so there are not many left now.

“If someone has got it in their mind to sabotage it all, the community is going to suffer.”

The issue has been reported to the police and anyone with information is asked to call officers on 101.