Trees planted by children as part of a community project have been ripped from the ground in an act of "hateful vandalism".

Passerby Mick Cairns stumbled across the damage at Nethercourt Park in Ramsgate while walking his golden retriever Dexter.

The saplings had only been planted about two weeks before by children from the nearby Chilton Primary School.

Signs at the park tell how the trees will grow into a "mini woodland, providing the community with cleaner air".

They also ask visitors to "please take care of them" - a request wilfully ignored by those responsible for the vandalism.

Mr Cairns encountered the damage on Sunday, sharing pictures on Facebook and asking: "Why?! Just why?!"

He told KentOnline: "Its an absolute shame. The world's in crisis and these people are doing this, they can't have a brain.

"I was walking in the park and saw that the kids had been over there and flattened them.

"So I took Dexter home and came back with a mallet and a shovel and fixed what I could."

The 75-year-old estimates that 12 to 15 saplings had been flattened, and two or three had been completely uprooted and discarded on the footpath.

Having lived in Ramsgate for 30 years, he thinks that parenting is to blame for the vandalism.

"There's no discipline in children nowadays," he said.

Mr Cairns, who is a bell-ringer at St Laurence Church, described the destruction.

"Some had been pulled completely out the ground and thrown about," he said.

"It's so sad, all the kids had written their names on them and planted them themselves."

The damage provoked a similar response on Facebook, with many commenters expressing their dismay.

Heidi Nichols wrote: "How disgusting! This place gets worse!"

Amanda Hayton added: "I’ve loved seeing these around. Some people are just cretins."

Jenny Harris called for CCTV at the site, adding that those responsible should be "named and shamed" and made to pay for the damage.

Debbie Butler posted: "What pleasure do they get destroying people's hard work?"

A Chilton Primary School spokesman said: "We are massively disappointed by what has happened to the trees that we helped to plant in Nethercourt.

"The children put a lot of time and effort into the planting and wanted to help out in a park in their local community where so many of them play. The destruction that has occurred is very disrespectful to the park, local residents and to the children.

"However, we will be contacting Thanet District Council to see if there is anything we can do to help repair the damage or if there is anything further that we can get involved in to support our community in a similar way."