A PLANT nursery which supports disabled and vulnerable adults has been severely damaged by a fire at a council depot in Levengrove Park.

Police are treating the incident, which happened at the Levengrove depot within the park, as deliberate.

Fire crews were called to the West Dunbartonshire Council depot at about 01:30 on Saturday, December 31, where the polytunnels which house the plants had been burned and melted. No plants were damaged by the fire but the cost of the damage to the building is not yet known.

A council spokesperson said: “This deliberate fire not only damaged property but is impacting on some of the most vulnerable people within our community.

“The facility which was damaged at the weekend supports a horticultural project for disabled and vulnerable adults in West Dunbartonshire, providing training and mentoring in gardening skills.

“We are working to minimise any impact on these residents and will be looking to replace the damaged equipment and polytunnels as soon as possible.

“We would appeal for anyone with information on this incident to contact Police Scotland on 101.”

The Levengrove Horticultural Project was started in 2009 and provides access to the agricultural area with greenhouses, poly-tunnels, raised beds, groundworks and a training room. It supports upwards of 100 adults with learning disabilities every year, helping them to cultivate gardening skills and learn new hobbies.

Police Scotland have also appealed for information from anyone who may be able to help.

Detective Constable Andrew Fearnside, of Clydebank CID, said: "This was a senseless act which has severely damaged a plant nursery owned by the West Dunbartonshire Council.

"Although no plants were damaged, this is an area used to grow plants and make the local area a greener place to live, work and visit.

"As a community, this type of mindless vandalism will not be tolerated. Our inquiries are under way to trace the person responsible and ensure they are held to account for their actions.

"The area is popular with local dog walkers and offers shortcuts through the main park area. It may be that you witnessed the fire, or perhaps saw someone acting suspiciously in the early hours of Saturday morning. Any information, no matter how small, will greatly assist our ongoing investigation."