Buzz off! Anger over graffiti and vandalism at Shrewsbury apiary - video

The damage has been caused at a previously unused building on the outskirts of the town taken on by Shropshire Beekeepers Association – to the disgust of members who had already started renovating the site.

Roof tiles have been removed and materials from the site in Nobold Lane used to build dens in nearby scrubland.

The beekeepers association used to keep its hives – which are filled with thousands of bees – on land at Radbrook College in Shrewsbury.

But when the site was sold for redevelopment they had to find a new home and Shropshire Council stepped in with the offer of buildings and land at Nobold Lane.

Peter Bound, vice-chairman of Shropshire Beekeepers Association, said: "The building has been empty for approximately 10 years. The site was overgrown and we have spent a great deal of time coppicing trees and cutting back brambles and weeds.

"The building is in a bad way. When we took it over a few months ago, the roof was leaking and electrics were damaged. The windows have been broken and a lot of the damage has been caused by vandals.

"The council gave us a 99-year lease and we hope to turn it in to an apiary.

"We have spent £10,000 of our money restoring the building but there is so much more to do and we have made the site as secure as we can. We want to get it open by spring. It's a fantastic opportunity and we are hoping to get other organisations such as Shropshire Wildlife Trust involved.

"It is just such a shame we have vandalism. They are getting in through land at the rear which belongs to Shropshire Council and then they are making off with stuff from our site and also from the council site.

"They have made a huge den on scrubland there. It really needs to be seen to be believed. We have been in touch with the council about it and they don't seem too concerned.

"The police know all about it and we are appealing to those people who live nearby to let us know if they see anything."

Shropshire Beekeepers Association covers an area stretching from Newport to Church Stretton. The association was founded in 1884 and re-created in its present form in 1924 and has about 200 members.

There will be approximately 20 hives at its site at Nobold.