Visitors to Bailey Park’s flower gardens are being asked to be extra mindful after reports of someone stealing plants and flowers.

The Sensory Garden in Bailey Park has become a popular location for garden-lovers with many people coming to admire the excellent work undertaken by volunteers from the Friends of Bailey Park.

Group volunteers spend hours planting new flowers and preserving the gardens for others to enjoy. However the group have now reported the someone has been stealing highly cherished and expensive plants from the flower gardens, with Alstroemeria plants being the latest casualty.

Speaking to the Chronicle, a Friends of Bailey Park volunteer said: “The Friends have been distressed and saddened at the theft of several plants in the past few days. Tell-tale signs of holes in the earth have pointed to the removal of Alstroemeria, a Hellebore (Christmas Rose) in full bloom, and a number of Primroses. All these plants have been taken from the Sensory Garden since about the tenth or eleventh of this month.

“This isn’t the first time that plants have gone missing from the Park, and considering the time and effort that goes into the maintenance of the gardens for everyone to enjoy, it is indeed a very mean act. The Friends rely heavily on donations of plants and cash from the generous public, and without this we would be unable to function.”

“The gardens are there for everyone to enjoy, and the person responsible is spoiling them for everyone.”

Town Mayor Tudor Thomas also expressed his anger at the recent thefts, saying: “I am aware of people stealing from the Gardens and I am very unhappy that this is happening.

“The Friends of Bailey Park work so hard to improve the park and are often financially supported by Abergavenny Town Council and Monmouthshire County Council by their Green Infrastructure Team.

“Additional lighting and CCTV cameras are to be installed, and this is an issue that will be discussed when there is a meeting of interested parties about vandalism and anti-social behaviour, with Gwent Police.”

The theft has been reported to Abergavenny police and CCTV cameras are being looked at. Friends of Bailey Park would appreciate visitors to the park keeping a lookout for any suspicious activity, and to contact the police should they suspect anyone of taking the plants.