The nursery had installed the grass just three weeks before it was ripped up by thieves in the night last month.
The 16 square metres of grass had cost the nursery £5,000 to install, with much of the money raised by parents.
Children were forced to play inside after the thieves cut the turf up from the garden, damaging play equipment in the process.
Linda Watts, manager at Playday Nursery, said, ‘The thieves had hacked the grass out after scaling our back fence; they destroyed our playing area for the sake of some artificial grass. It’s disgraceful, especially since it was only recently installed, and their actions have consigned the children to playing indoors, which has had a big impact on their playing time.’
After hearing about the crime, local artificial grass supplier Grass Direct contacted the nursery to donate replacement turf.
Dan Foskett, managing director at Grass Direct, said, ‘Upon hearing the news of such a disgraceful crime in the community, I was more than happy to help out Playday in this way. There is no excuse for such crimes in today’s day and age, especially stealing from a nursery, and I hope that the children at the nursery enjoy their new playing area and the nursery moves on from this ordeal.’
Ms Watts added, ‘I am extremely grateful to Grass Direct for their kind donation, which will restore our garden area back to its former glory and allow our children to enjoy themselves outside. It is actions like this that give you back your faith in human society.’
