Charity’s poly tunnel wrecked

Vandals caused £1,500 of damage when they attacked a poly tunnel in a charity’s garden used by people with learning difficulties.

The gang of seven teenagers punched through the tunnel’s plastic skin just days after it had been put up at Pennine Magpie on Club Lane, Ovenden, near Halifax.

The education centre for people with learning difficulties suffered a further blow the next day when the tunnel was attacked again.

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Service users were going to grow vegetables in the tunnel to give to charities and voluntary organisations.

Pennine Magpie manager Gillian Sheard said: “The project has been put on hold which is upsetting. They are holding up a really enthusiastic project. We have 120 adults with learning disabilities here, they are really upset. It’s dreadful.

“Boys from Calderdale College Construction Academy have helped to build the garden project and are building big tables for the poly tunnel and they are also extremely upset.”

The teenagers who damaged the tunnel between 8.40pm and 9pm on Tuesday are described as aged around 14 to 18 years old.

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Inspector Colin Skeath, of the Halifax Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Pennine Magpie do some great work in the community and for this sort of vandalism to have taken place is disgusting. The damage will cost a lot of money to replace and so I am appealing directly to the local community to call in with any information they may have about who did this.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 101.