AN AWARD-winning gardener's years of hard work have been destroyed by vandals.

Before Carl Gippert left for an overnight camping trip, he had been delighted to find he was the winner of a local gardening competition.

But when he returned on Saturday, Mr Gippert was heartbroken to find the garden of his home, in Mendip Terrace, South Stanley, County Durham, had been wrecked.

Plants were ripped up, ornaments smashed and a rose arch destroyed.

Mr Gippert, 51, said: "My garden has been ruined. It took me four years to get the garden looking like it was. Some of the species of plants that have been killed were very rare and it will be difficult to get hold of them again."

Mr Gippert said it was not the first time his garden had been sabotaged.

On previous occasions, he has returned home to find weedkiller thrown on to his garden.

He said: "We wanted to go camping again, but now I don't think it is worth going away, because you don't know what you are going to come back to.

"Having said that, I'm determined not to give up on gardening."

Mr Gippert has transformed his garden since he moved into the council-owned home four years ago. But now he will have to live with his ruined flower-beds until next year's growing season.

Mr Gippert had won first place in the Green Corridor Bloomers competition and was due to be presented with a trophy on Thursday.

The contest covers South Stanley, Craghead South Moor and is run by Craghead resident Marie Robson, to try to give rundown areas a boost.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Stanley police on (01207) 232144.