The sign says it all.

Furious Joe Thornton has branded yobs as "scum" after they damaged two young saplings planted by Castle Point Council just a few months ago.

Mr Thornton and his neighbour paid the council a total £100 to have five trees planted outside their houses in Urmond Road, Canvey, hoping to brighten up their neighbourhood.

However, vandals responded by snapping two of them, leaving them badly damaged.

Mr Thornton, 59, said: "I'm fed up - you try to make the place look nice and then this happens. It's so senseless."

Railway signalman Mr Thornton, who said he had been working at the time of the incident, said his wife had noticed a group of youths hanging around on Saturday evening.

He said: "The next time she looked they had been damaged. They were only planted in February."

Mr Thornton said he and his neighbour had attempted to tape up the trees but was not optimistic.

Furious - Joe is fed up with yobs

Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.