A £500 reward is on offer today to catch the vile thugs who trashed a grandfather's beloved garden on night time rampage.Ted Proctor was so incensed when he was woken by the noise of the vandals destroying his garden that he bravely jumped on his bike and chased them.

A £500 reward is on offer today to catch the vile thugs who trashed a grandfather's beloved garden on night time rampage.

Sprightly Ted Proctor was so incensed when he was woken by the noise of the vandals destroying his garden that he bravely jumped on his bike and chased them.

However the yobs managed to escape and today police have launched a hunt for those responsible and have urged neighbours to look out for anything suspicious.

And The Evening Star has put up the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprits.

Editor Nigel Pickover said: “This is a despicable thing to happen to someone who had clearly spent a lot of time and love on his garden.

“These thugs need to be caught and communities should not have to suffer from such wanton vandalism.”

Mr Proctor, 66 and his wife Hazel of Penryn Road, Kesgrave were woken at 3am yesterday by noise coming from their front garden.

As Mrs Proctor looked out, she saw two tall figures pulling up their flower beds and vandalising the garden.

Mr Proctor, a part-time caretaker at Cedarwood Primary School, said: “I wasn't thinking at all. All I thought was my car would take too long to get out as it was under a cover.

“I did not know what I was going to do if I had caught up with them.

“I thought I would manage to catch them as I took a short cut to where they were heading but I lost them. It was just instinctive because they were on my property.”

As daylight dawned, it became clear how much damage the vandals had caused, with wallflowers, daffodils and other plants pulled up and strewn across the lawn.

The Proctors, who have two grown up sons and five grandchildren, claim they have never experienced this type of anti-social behaviour in all of the 46 years they have been living there.

Mrs Proctor, 65, added: “I could see they were quite tall, maybe 18-year-olds, but I'm not sure.

“It was a nuisance as we had to fill up a whole bin with flowers that had been dug up. You don't like to think of someone on your property.

“The police came round straight away and they seemed a lot happier when Ted finally came back on his bike as you never know what could happen.”

Sergeant Mick Richardson from the town's Safer Neighbourhood Team said: “It sounds like opportunists were to blame.

“We would advise people to look out for their neighbours, especially for the older members of the community, and call us if they see anything suspicious.”

If you saw anything or can help police with their enquiries, call Suffolk Police on 01473 613500 or the Safer Neighbourhood Team on 01473 334980.

Have you experienced any vandalism or anti-social behaviour in your area? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk .