Yobs wreaked havoc on a Westcliff allotment, smashing windows, ransacking an office and burning down a shed.
Dismayed plot owners are still assessing the damage done to at least 30 sheds at the Springfield allotment, off Springfield Drive, which is estimated to be around the £3,000 mark.
And they are urging residents, particularly those whose homes overlook the allotment, to keep an eye out in the future for any vandals.
Jim Clarke, chairman of the Westcliff Land Cultivation Society, said: "They did a significant amount of damage. They broke into sheds, broke windows, smashed glasshouses and cold frames.
"The office was broken into and ransacked - they opened drawers and emptied the contents.
"They burnt a shed down.
It belonged to a retired tradesman and contained all the tools he had built up over the years - all that was reduced to ashes.
"A lot of people have offered to help him rebuild his shed - this sort of thing unites people."
* Full story in today's Echo
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