By YASEMIN TALAT
Caption:What is left of the trees along Calder Park Drive after what is alleged as a deliberate destruction by hoon drivers 101740 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
LAST week residents reported an array of destroyed trees along a nature strip on Calder Park Drive in Hillside.
It is alleged that hoon drivers were responsible for driving over the nature strip, tearing down up to 30 newly planted trees.
Residents are furious as this is not only such incident in the area.
Caroline Springs resident Connie said the first time this happened was about eight months ago and the council had replaced the trees.
“To me it looks as if someone has been in a car and on purpose run them all down,” Connie said.
“And that’s really upsetting me, because it’s the second time around and the trees were new trees.”
Connie was extremely upset at the lack of respect hoons had for the community.
“It’s heartbreaking to see these hoons rampaging,” Connie said.
“We’ve got this beautiful area, Caroline Springs is gorgeous, but nobody’s respecting it,” she said.
A year ago residents in the Caroline Springs area, including Connie and her family, had their car windscreens smashed.
Connie said she felt the hoons in the area were getting worse.
The council was alerted to the incident on Monday 1 July but had no further information on the incident.
Melton City Council’s acting operations manager Gerard Jones said the trees would be replaced in the council’s planting season later in the year when the weather is more favourable.
“Hoon driving is unacceptable and Council continues to work with the Police and the community in its Road 2 Zero road safety campaign to educate people in order to improve driver behaviour,” Mr Jones said.
