There were floods of tears when children discovered the wildlife garden they had spent a year creating had been trashed by vandals.

Pupils as young as seven walked down to the spot at Tenterden Junior School for the first time since winter to look at the jobs that lay ahead for springtime.

But they stumbled on a scene of utter devastation and saw their picnic bench had been ripped from its base and thrown in the pond; ladybird houses they had lovingly created had been stamped on and bird nesting boxes had been ripped off their posts.

It was too much for the heartbroken group of 13 children, who are aged from seven to 10 years old, some of whom had spent the previous year helping to create the beauty spot.

Lynne Jerrom, the school’s office manager, is one of the members of staff who runs the gardening club at the Recreation Ground Road primary.

She said: “The original members of the gardening club had gone to the wildlife area with me to show the younger children around when they saw that the area had been completely trashed.

“Some of the children were in tears, they were very upset as they had worked so hard on the garden.

“Parents have told me that the vandalism of the garden was the first thing their children had mentioned to them when they got home that evening and that they were still upset about it.”

Other casualties of the vandalism at the spot, which lies in a wooded area at the bottom of the school’s sport field, included a smashed fence that the children had made from twigs, broken hedgehog houses and damaged ramps that had been made for frogs.

Mrs Jerrom said that the gardening club, that began last January, was appreciated by all children but was very important to pupils who were not especially academic, who really enjoyed and excelled in outdoor work.

The school prides itself on its horticultural achievements, having won top wildlife garden awards for its work in the last four years from the Kent Wildlife Trust, as well as enjoying success at the Hampton Court Flower Show schools’ scarecrow contest.

Mrs Jerome added: “I know that gardening and wildlife isn’t for everyone but I really can’t understand why anyone would do something so horrible.

“It has been so upsetting for the children – why don’t they just leave our school alone.”

Police have issued a crime reference number for anyone with information on the vandalism, who can call 101 and quote ZY/6747/16.