Vandals trash nursery garden in Sidley

The children of Rainbow Childcare Centre were devastated to find the intruders had ripped apart their tent and strewn toys all over the garden.

The vandals even destroyed some artwork, produced by the nursery children, much to the dismay of the little ones.

The unwelcome guests also left behind a quarter-full bottle of vodka hidden between two planters - which could have killed a child if drunk.

CCTV footage shows four people climbing over the fence into the Rainbow Garden, based at the Sidley Children’s Centre, at around 11.30pm.

The CCTV footage has been handed over to Sussex Police.

The nursery garden was cleared up and the centre was operating as normal on Monday.

The centre, based in Ninfield Road, is used by children aged from babies to five-year-olds.

The nursery is rated outstanding by Ofsted.

Jo Unsworth, nursery manager at Sidley Children’s Centre, spoke of the destruction which awaited staff and children on Monday morning.

Jo said: “The children were really upset to come in on Monday morning and see the damage that had been caused, including to the artwork they had spent so long working on.

“The tent in the garden had been ripped apart and toys had been strewn across the garden, leaving a terrible mess.

“It’s even more worrying that these people left a bottle of vodka in the garden, which could have had very serious consequences indeed if it had been discovered by one of the children.

“This is an act of mindless vandalism and I’d urge anyone who saw anything, or who has any information about the incident, to contact the police.”

Anyone who knows anything about the incident is urged to contact Sussex Police on 101. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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