News

Japanese cherry trees destroyed as vandals wreak havoc in Cardiff park

03 Aug 2026 3 minute read

Cherry Tree vandalism 7 (credit: Toby Gray)

Kieran Molloy, Local Democracy Reporter

People have been left shock and appalled by the actions of vandals in a popular Cardiff park.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has acquired images of vandalised cherry trees in Heath Park, in the north of the city.

The images show a number of trees that have been snapped in half while at least one has been pulled out of the ground.

Toby Gray, a park-goer, told the LDRS: “I am saddened by the loss of these trees, I look forward to the sakura every spring and am disappointed that the actions of a few brainless individuals will blight the landscape for years to come.”

Cllr Mike Ash-Edwards, who represents the Heath ward, said: “Like other local residents, Heath councillors are appalled at the wanton destruction of a number of ornamental Japanese cherry trees in Heath Park.

“We have reported this matter to the police who we understand are making progress with their investigations.

“We are working with Cardiff parks officers to look at what further steps can be taken to prevent such actions in future, and how best to restore the damaged trees that are part of a friendship agreement between Japan and Wales.”

Deliberate vandalism

A council spokesperson said: “The deliberate vandalism of any tree is completely unacceptable behaviour and will always be reported to the police to investigate. These police investigations have been successful in the past and have resulted in the perpetrators undertaking community service in the city’s parks.

“Although there are tree protection barriers that can be installed to help protect young trees, these are generally designed to prevent damage by wildlife, not to withstand vandalism.

“Heavy duty metal guards which can help protect young trees against vandalism are available at significant cost, however these are designed for high footfall urban areas and are generally not suitable for use in parks.

“We would encourage anybody who sees an incident of this nature, or has information about this specific incident in Heath Park, to contact South Wales Police.”

They added that due to the sheer amount of trees in the city, both on parks and on streets, there is no “fool-proof” way of protecting all of them from “an individual intent on causing damage”.

The council’s park team is currently assessing the damage and planning to replace the lost trees during the autumn/ winter planting season.

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