A bank of daffodils outside a garden centre, which were planted over 10 years ago in memory of customers who had passed away, has been destroyed in a “mindless act of vandalism”.

Craigville Garden Centre on the Sligo Road planted around 600 daffodils and has maintained them every year as a tribute to former customers, however on Monday in a short space of time the heads of every flower had been removed.

It is the first time anything like this has happened to flower arrangement outside the garden centre and it has been met with dismay and anger.

Scott Robinson of Craigville Garden Centre does not know why anybody would decide to carry out such a “stupid” act.

Every year the daffodils have bloomed creating a bank of yellow to brighten up the stretch of road for those using it.

“Every year the have been up and the full of the bank. It was always a good show for a month or so before they started to die off. People liked it and would be coming in and commenting to the staff in the garden centre,” explained Scott.

“It was nice for people to look at when they were coming past, it was perfect for that. And then this morning the heads of them were kicked around the car park.

“What would possess you to do it? There is maybe 600 daffodils in it. It’s obviously more than one person but they have decided to go around and kick the heads of them all so it must have took them 15 to 20 minutes. If you can laugh that long kicking daffodils you’re definitely not stable.”

After posting a video on Facebook of the bank the morning after the night before, reaction has been strong with people labelling the vandalism a “disgrace” and hoping the culprits will be identified.

“When we put it up on Facebook this morning there was a lot of bad reaction to it and you can see that with the messages. The reaction is bad,. People are just saying it’s unbelievable and a disgrace and how they loved looking at the daffodils going into town in the mornings.”

The stupidity of those who carried out this vandalism is something Scott cannot understand as there was nothing to be achieved by doing it.

“It’s just stupid. It was done for customers we had lost and that year in particular a lot of people had passed away.

“What fun is there in it? There is no fun it. How would you wake up this morning and be happy about kicking daffodils around a car park?

“There’s nothing to come out of it. How could you even laugh at it? why would you go to that effort?”

Scott is hopeful that they will grow back again next year and if there are any gaps in the bank due to the destruction of they will be replaced in order to restore the bank of daffodils back to it original appearance.