Youths with shopping trolley trash Chorley nursery garden

And it is thought the incident, on December 13, involved a group of young people who stole equipment and toys whilst using a supermarket trolley at approximately 3pm.

Owner Marsha Nightingale, 37, has managed Tatton nursery, on Silverdale Road, for four years and said she is 'extremely disappointed'.

She had found out about the heartless attack when one of her staff members told her that they had been called by a member of the public who witnessed the incident.

She said: "A member of my staff told me that someone had seen a group of youths throwing things over the fence and into a trolley.

"By the time I had got there, they had all gone. On Monday morning, I saw that they had broken the sandpit, trampled in the mud and taken mud kitchen equipment.

"They had broken barriers and taken things out of our outdoor storage bench that contained the children's construction toys. It was absolutely trashed."

Hopeful to catch the thieves, local CCTV footage has reportedly picked up still images of those involved and police are investigating the matter.

Marsha also believes that the vandals used the stolen trolley to climb over the fence and spoil the garden that herself, staff and nursery students had spent months building.

She added: "It is such a big kick in the teeth and I am extremely disappointed. We have spent money and time and effort making this space nice for the children, including out of hours.

"The children have helped with revamping the area and planting, so to see it destroyed is heartbreaking. It was left completely trashed."

Just two months before the incident, owner Marsha had shared pictures to social media site Facebook, celebrating the new outdoor space that staff had created.

And she was left thanking the local community on Tuesday, December 15, when several stolen items were returned by people in the local community who had found them.

With the help of her staff and council workers, Marsha managed to ensure that the outdoor space was safe and clean again in time for the children to arrive back at nursery.

She added: "It makes my heart burst with pride that we still have selfless people in and around the community who are willing to go above and beyond for others."

The Lancashire Post contacted Chorley South police, but have not yet received a comment.

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