Thieves ruin floral display at Bridgnorth theatre less than a day after it was made

The front of Bridgnorth's Theatre on the Steps had been de-weeded and tidied, with a range of new plants laid down.

But less than 24 hours later, thieves had dug up and stolen all of the plants and left the garden in a mess.

Iain Reddihough, artistic director of the theatre, said there had been a noticeable increase in litter left outside the venue on Stoneway Steps in recent years and this was the latest 'dispiriting' incident.

He added that without financial support from the Arts Council or local government, the community group relies on helpers to ensure the 30,000 annual visitors cherish their experience.

"All the volunteers at the theatre work very hard and strive to make a visit to the theatre an enjoyable experience, and that includes trying to make the area more attractive," he said.

"Very often before a show they pick up litter and discarded food containers on their way down to the theatre.

"Unfortunately, over the last few years the amount of litter left on the steps has increased and this latest act of stealing plants is dispiriting to say the least."

Volunteers left the venue admiring the tidy garden and new floral display at about 6pm last Tuesday, but found their work had been destroyed by the following morning.

Mr Reddihough added: "The plants cost £10 and if someone is in such a desperate situation that they need to steal the plants, the theatre, or I personally, would rather give them the £10 to buy their own plants than have them wreck our little garden and destroy an afternoon's work by one of our volunteers."

Love Bridgnorth, a campaign to promote the town, added: "We hope that this is a silly jape that has gone wrong.

"Please return the flowers and nothing more will be said. Please respect this wonderful community theatre and the many volunteers who work so hard to make it successful."