Teens replant flower bed they ripped up

Two teenage boys who pulled plants out of a flower bed have been brought back to repair the damage they caused.

Staffordshire Police identified the youngsters responsible for ripping the blooms out of the floral display at Longton Exchange Shopping Centre in Stoke-on-Trent.

Centre manager Chris Ward said he felt having the boys repair the damage rather than face a fine was the right decision.

"We’ve all done something in our lives that we’re perhaps not proud of," he said.

He added: "The parents were shocked and upset that their children had done this.

"They offered to pay for the replacement of the plants – we declined that, as we felt it wasn’t fair on the parents to have to pay for their children’s mistakes."

He said he felt the pair had been brought up properly but had just made a "silly mistake".

A police spokesman said: "As part of a joint agreement with their parents, [centre] management and police, [the teenagers] have spent their Saturday afternoon planting new flowers and learning that their actions have consequences."

The flower beds had only recently been installed, Mr Ward said, and the boys were tasked with planting winter bedding plants and bulbs for the spring.

Mr Ward added: "By the end of it, they felt a bit of pride that they’ve actually achieved something."

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