Nursery children have been deprived of their favourite exploring spot after vandals set fire to benches in a community garden.

Youngsters from Little Explorers Kindergarten and Nursery in Hive Lane, Northfleet regularly make the 10 minute journey to the enchanted garden next to St Botolph’s Church in The Hill, Northfleet to learn about nature.

But now their exploring has been ruined as vandals have set fire to the reclaimed benches.

Manager Theresa Callaghan said: “It is such sad news. It will be such a loss for the children.

“We take them there on local walks and they have had many learning opportunitites there.

“It is so sad for our community.”

She said she and her staff would take the children there as often as possible to watch the changing seasons, plant seeds or drop off home-made bird feeders and return later to see if their offerings had been eaten.

Now the nursery fear they will not be able to go back to their nature haven as it might not be save for the increasing number of children with respiratory problems.

“We will have to do a risk assessment as it might not be safe for them anymore,” she said.

And it wasn’t just learning about nature which benefited the children during their visits to the community garden as they used to expand their knowledge through chatting to locals there.

Theresa said: “There would often be old people sitting on the bench and they would love to chat to the children. They often have pictures they would show them and tell them amazing stories.

“They adored it.”

And she said it was especially important for the children, who range in age from two to nearly five-years-old, who do not have any outdoor space at home.

“They really looked forward to going there,” she explained. “There’s not a lot of opportunity around here to see nature and wildlife and to have the chance to take the time to sit and quietly observe.”

She added: “It was such a community endeavour with volunteers getting involved. It is such a loss for the community.”

People who like to enjoy a bit of peace in the community garden have also been left disgusted by the “mindless act”.

Alexandra Davis is an Associate Engineer at a building services consultancy on the other side of the church.

She said she loves escaping the busy office at luncthime and sitting in the garden.

“We’re a very busy office, so it’s nice to have a bit of quiet time and there’s nowhere else around here to sit in peace,” she said.

“I bring my greyhound to the office with me so he gets to lie in the sun on the grass while I sit on one of the benches.”

The 40-year-old added: “The wildflowers behind the benches were just coming into flower and full of insect life. They were a bit dry because of the lack of rain recently, which is probably how they burned up so quickly.

“Why would people do this?”

Fellow resident Dawn Jewiss called for the council to install CCTV, as it’s not the first time the area has been a target for vandals.

She added: “It is absolutely awful. Mindless people with no respect.”

But a spokesman for Gravesham Council said it was private land.

Church warden Wendy Waller said they have talked about CCTV.

“We are discussing it,” she said. “But it’s the cost of it that is the issue.”

Councillor for Painters Ash Emma Elliott said: “It’s not the first time for these benches.

“It’s a travesty and quite honestly disgusting that people think this sort of behaviour is acceptable.”