On Sunday when he arrived at the town’s public swimming pool he was confronted by 12 trees that had been ripped out of the ground and thrown over the pool fence.

The trees had only been planted just before Christmas as part of the strategic plan to spruce up the town.

“I’m a member of the Shoalhaven Heads Community Forum and we planted them as part of the program to beautify the town,” Mr Bell said.

“The trees were doing really well and survived through Christmas but some time on Saturday night someone pulled them out of the ground.

“We kind of thought this could happen.

“People were saying we shouldn’t plant them because they would get wrecked, but what do you do? You’ve got to take a chance.

“You just can’t keep saying no.”

“I replanted them and they seem to be going OK,” he said.