New plantings wrecked

Dunedin City Council staff are shocked and angry after a vehicle  was driven down the Stuart St median strip, apparently deliberately, destroying  new plantings which cost thousands of dollars.

Delta contractors planted toothed lancewood and native tussock on the strip last week, replacing earlier planting on the arterial route.

DCC parks and recreation acting group manager Tom Dyer said it appeared a vehicle had been intentionally driven over the new plantings on Wednesday night.

"We’re very disappointed about the resulting damage and are pursuing some lines of inquiry."

The planting was almost finished and  the cost of the damage was estimated to be about $10,000.

The council hoped to fix the damage in the next few weeks, but it needed to source new plants to replace the damaged ones, he said.

Security measures, such as railings, were now being investigated in the hope of protecting the new plantings.

"We’ll consider whether there are any extra measures we can take to prevent something like this from happening again.

"In the meantime, we urge anyone with information about the damage to contact police and the DCC."

● Dunedin police (03) 471-4800, Crimestoppers 0800 555-111.

john.lewis@odt.co.nz