A FATHER-OF-THREE is fearing for his children’s safety and is contemplating moving away from the area after his garden was broken into and vandalised.

Tom Williams returned from a week-long holiday in Italy with his wife and three kids on Saturday, July 30 to find that four commemorative fruit trees had been chopped down, a bench had been broken and a gate had been stolen from his garden in Norton Bavant, on the outskirts of Warminster.

The screenwriter believes that the incident is linked to a series of other incidents in the east of the town, including a spate of four cars getting damaged in Boreham Road on Sunday, July 31

Mr Williams, 41, said: “It was a real shock to return from holiday to see the garden in such a state.

“Those trees were planted to commemorate special moments in both our lives and the lives of the previous homeowners.

“We’re struggling to understand why someone has targeted us. If they had taken something valuable or if we had antagonised someone then we could understand it, or even if it was just drunk people letting off steam.

“But we don’t live in the middle of town and they didn’t even take the wood to use it for firewood so there is absolutely no benefit to the perpetrators whatsoever, it was just an act of malice.

“We have young children playing in the garden from sunrise to sunset but now they are looking at passers-by with suspicion.

“We have since installed a security camera on the house, which is something we never thought we would have to do, especially in this lovely area.

“I’m now concerned about my children’s safety. They have camped in the garden in the past but I won’t let them do it again. It has ruined our summer holiday and we are considering moving.”

In June, Home Farm Bed and Breakfast off Boreham Road, just one mile away from Mr Williams’ property, was targeted on two separate occasions.

On June 2 a 30ft tree was felled before a group of small trees were chopped on June 10.

Colin Legg, 65, who owns the B&B, said: “It is a real nuisance as I have to spend hours on my JCB tidying it all up – it’s just mindless vandalism.

"I want to see this spate of crime brought to an end."