A COUPLE in Moredon have been left mystified after vandals chopped down two trees in their orchard.

Ian Cadden, 59, of Church Walk South, believes the trees were targeted some time between Monday and Wednesday and says a saw would have been needed to fell them.

But he is at a loss to explain why someone would want to jump over a fence in his back garden to carry out the vandalism.

"My wife Jacky rang me at work at about 6pm on Wednesday to tell me what had happened," said Mr Cadden.

"She had taken my nieces to play in the garden when she noticed the trees.

"They have been chopped down and left in a neat pile in the garden. It's unbelievable that someone would want to do something like this.

"The trees are about 40 years old and between 20 and 25 feet high, so someone must have used a saw to cut them down.

"Our back garden is enclosed so someone must have jumped over a fence to do it."

Mr Cadden, who has 16 fruit trees in his orchard, believes the trees may have been sabotaged during Monday while both he and his wife were out for the day.

He said they did not notice the trees had been flattened because of the size of their garden.

"I'm quite angry," said Mr Cadden, who works as a joiner. "This has come right out of the blue just when the trees were coming into blossom. I've phoned the police, but I'm not sure there's much they can do.

"It's going to cost me between £200 and £300 to get rid of them or I can either burn them, but I'm not keen on burning trees.

"We have had a lot of trouble up this way with youths but I don't think this is anything to do with that.

"This is quite malicious, but I've got no idea why anyone would want to do this to the trees. I'm just hoping somebody saw something."

Witnesses or anyone with any information about the vandalism is asked to contact Swindon police on 0845 408 7000 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.