Two 8 foot tall Blue Atlas Cedar trees – worth £500 each – have been returned to their home in a Northfield park after being stolen last month.
The trees had been funded and planted by the Friends of Ley Hill Park and lots of effort had gone into their care, including nurturing them through drought during the long hot summer of 2018.
However, in early April the Friends group were devastated when one of the trees vanished overnight.
And on the 16th April, they were shocked to find that the second blue atlas cedar had also been dug up and stolen overnight.
The Friends group have had plants and flowers – meant for the whole community to enjoy – stolen from the park before but nothing of this size.
At the time of the theft, Friends of Ley Hill Park’s Graham Andrews said: “These two trees are unusual and you would need to understand horticulture to identify what they are. The Friends are upset and devastated and it will make them rethink what they do in the park in future.”
However, within 48 hours of the second theft, both trees were recovered by officers from the West Midlands Police Weoley Neighbourhood team.
The trees – which grow up to around 100 feet tall – were spotted planted in large pots outside a Northfield home and within a few days had been recovered and replanted in a team effort by the Weoley Police team and Friends of Ley Hill Park.
Mr Andrews said: “We are really pleased with the police response. The Weoley NHT did a great job [recovering and helping] planting the trees… wonderful!”
Sgt Fryer from Weoley NHT said: “We seized the trees from an address in Northfield […] with the help of Kings Norton team and The Friends of Ley Hill Park. No arrests were made but this is practical policing and neighbourhood collaboration at its best.”
Sgt Fryer added that there had been no need to call in Special Branch….
The post Stolen trees returned to Northfield park appeared first on B31 Voices.