THIEVES have stolen conifers from a prize-winning garden at a County Durham old people's home.

Staff and residents at Wellfield House, Murton, are devastated by the theft on Wednesday night.

Three dwarf conifers worth about £100 were taken from the garden, which recently won an award from Durham County Council.

The raiders also took another tree from the garden of a nearby home belonging to an elderly disabled man.

May Barlow, manager of Wellfield House, said the conifers had been donated and planted by a team of volunteers.

They were a popular attraction with the home's 50 permanent and day-care residents during the summer, she said.

Now money earmarked for Christmas presents will have to be spent on replacing the trees.

Mrs Barlow said: "The people who did this have no scruples and I hope it wasn't someone local because my residents are all from Murton. They have put in to this community, then someone does this.

"We are having a fete and the money was going towards Christmas presents for the residents, but some will now have to go towards replacing the trees."

The summer fete will be held at the home in Wellfield Road at 1.30pm, next Saturday.