A GROUP of youngsters have protested their innocence following an article in last week's Alton Herald describing the vandalism of the town's Millennium yew tree copse.
Located on land between Fontwell Drive and Lingfield Close the commemorative arc of trees was planted in January this year and all but one was said to have been destroyed in the attack which was originally thought to have occurred the previous Monday evening.
However the youngsters, who believe they were spotted on the site that evening and fear they could be blamed for the incident, are adamant that the vandalism occurred overnight on Friday (June 1).
They regularly meet on the green but on Friday evening happened to be attending a sleep-over elsewhere.
While the trees were intact on Thursday, they were not there on Saturday when the group next met.
In fact, they made an unsuccessful attempt to replant some of the saplings pointing out that it was "their patch" and they did not want to see it spoilt.
Whilst the youngsters could not shed light on who might have damaged the trees, former members of the Alton Millennium Group responsible for planting the trees are asking anyone with any information to talk to the police.
Speaking later to The Herald, a concerned parent from Goodwood Close said it was "a sad sign of our times that children are blamed for things like this when all they like to do is congregate for a chat. They don't even kick a ball around," said the man.
He felt there to be "a lack of good things for children to do in Alton" and suggested that this issue ought to be addressed.