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Volunteer gardeners at Bradford on Avon Train Station are furious after three large wooden compost bins were stolen during the Easter holidays.

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Friends of Bradford on Avon Train Station members Dave Walden Tony Green, Simon Mead-King, Pat Burrows and station manager Dave Martin at the site where the bins were stolen

The Friends of Bradford on Avon, which has received national recognition for its efforts in looking after the train station^s gardens, discovered the bins were missing at 9am on Tuesday when they went to tend to the greenery.

The 6ft by 4ft bins, which were made from wooden pallets and stored on the Bath side of the station, held compost, recyclables and rubbish that was used to help the 12 volunteers save money doing their work at the station.

Volunteer Pat Burrows, 66, who discovered the bins were missing, said: ^It is soul destroying. We think it must have happened over the weekend and I can only suggest that they have taken them for fire wood. If I get hold of whoever has done this, I^ll wring their necks.

^The pallets were donated last autumn and one of our volunteers, John Baxter, built the sturdy bins, which stored our own compost and meant we didn^t have to buy it. When I saw they were gone, I felt like crying and the former station manager Dave Walden, who set up our group, was dumbfounded.^

The group, which tends to the gardens on Monday and Tuesday mornings, said a fence at the station had been broken and it is thought the bins had been taken through the fields near Barton Farm.

Mrs Burrows said the incident has been reported to the British Transport Police.

Fellow volunteer Tony Green said: ^It is just mindless and I just don^t see the point in pinching them as they have no monetary value. To me it just seems like whoever has done this has been silly for the sake of being silly. I^d imagine there must have been a couple of people who moved them, as they are very heavy and rather big. It just seems like mindless vandalism.^

The group made the national shortlist for best station garden category at the Department for Transport and the Association of Community Rail Partnership Awards last year, and have vowed to continue working hard to make the gardens look appealing.

Anyone with information should call Wiltshire Police on 101.

Blooming generous offer for Bradford train station volunteers

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Monique Hayes of Hills with Friends of Bradford on Avon Station, from left, Viv Harper, Dave Walden, Roger Gaisford and Tony Green and some of the bags of compost

Volunteer gardeners at Bradford on Avon^s train station have been given 30 bags of compost by a local company, after having their compost bins stolen.

The 6ft by 4ft wooden bins, used by the Friends of Bradford on Avon to store compost and recyclables, were stolen over Easter.

The storage bins made the volunteers^ work easier by having supplies on site and helped them save money.

After reading the story in the Wiltshire Times, Monique Hayes, from Hills, which recycles green waste at its premises at Parkgate Farm, Purton, contacted the group to donate the compost.

Group communications officer Mrs Hayes said: ^It is really sad to hear that people who donate their time to making these gardens look wonderful were targeted and had their compost stolen. We thought we^d like to support them and give something back to the community.^

Friends of Bradford on Avon made the national shortlist for best station garden at the Department for Transport and the Association of Community Rail Partnership Awards last year. Its volunteers meet every Monday and Tuesday.

Dave Walden, who set up the group, said: ^It was brilliant when Monique rang us and wanted to help. We were all knocked a little bit when the bins were stolen and we are very thankful to Hills for helping us get back on track.^

Mr Walden said the group hoped to have some replacement bins at the station in the coming weeks.

Volunteer Pat Burrows, who discovered the bins were missing, said: ^It is very nice to see that the article generated some interest and some help came forward. We were all a bit upset and angry when the incident happened a few weeks ago, but we are going to keep going and we are determined to continue.^

Southampton footballer Ryan New died after being hit by train following night out with friends

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Ryan New

Well-known Southampton footballer Ryan New died when he was hit by a train after a night out with friends, an inquest heard.

Mr New, who won 20 medals during his time with Sunday League side Woolston T&L, had been socialising with pals in Wiltshire when he died, the hearing in Salisbury was told.

The 32-year-old died at Bradford on Avon between midnight and 1am on Saturday, August 30.

The inquest heard that Mr New suffered multiple injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His family have been informed.

There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances, said the coroner^s spokesman.

^He was out with friends. He seems to have left his friends and been hit by a train,^ she added.

Senior Wiltshire coroner David Ridley adjourned the hearing to a date to be fixed.

British Transport Police (BTP) are preparing a report for the coroner.

A BTP spokesman said: ^We were called to the line close to Bradford on Avon station at midnight on Saturday, August 30, following a report that a man had been struck by a train. Colleagues from Wiltshire Police and South Western Ambulance Service also attended the incident, which is currently not being treated as suspicious.^