Vandals tear up field at Rivington Terraced Gardens

Volunteers and staff who look after the grounds of Rivington Terraced Gardens were in for a nasty shock when they arrived on site yesterday, Thursday. 

The lawns which used to hold the Bungalow, Lord Leverhulme's house, and tennis courts had been vandalised, with tyre tracks all over it. 

Briony Jolley is the project manager for Rivington Terraced Gardens for charity Groundwork. 

She said: "We were out with the team doing a walk around plan when we turned the corner to the lawn and saw fresh damage that must have been done just after the snow fell, so Wednesday afternoon or this morning (Thursday). 

Tracks (Image: Rivington Terraced Gardens) "We think it is quad bikes as we have to leave a gap for horses to get through and unfortunately that is big enough for quad bikes. The tyre tracks fit quad bikes as well. 

"We seem to find this at this time of year, for the past two or three years it starts to happen for some reason, we are not sure why. 

"Our volunteers work all year and during the growing season we maintain the lawn. Then in winter time, they do this and mark the lawns." 

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Damage from the tracks (Image: Rivington Terraced Gardens) Briony added: "Depending on how badly they do it and right into the grass, it scalps the lawn, making big divots. We will try and infill that and hope by spring it is better. 

"It was the tennis lawn and the Bungalow footprint that they damaged. The Bungalow footprint used to be where Lord Leverhulme's house stood. 

"We don't have the remains of anything so that is why the lawns are left as an outlined area. The big thing is the disappointment and being so dispirited for all the work the volunteers put in.

Putting a happy face on (Image: Rivington Terraced Gardens) "We have had a police presence from the rural crime teams, they have confiscated vehicles before. That seemed to help for a little bit."

This is not the first time lawns at the site have been vandalised. 

Tyre marks were reported by The Bolton News at the gardens in 2021, when the lawns were also damaged in the snow. 

Vandals on dirtbikes were also captured on film there in 2020. 

One of the summer houses was damaged in 2018 as well, where its metal door was pulled off.