STUDENTS are “devastated” after a section of their sensory garden, which catered for disabled students, was destroyed by a fire.

The garden at Coleg Gwent’s Cross Keys campus belonged to staff and students on the independent living skills course who said they were angered at finding the damage to their garden.

This included damage to a work bench which could be raised or lowered to give wheelchair access and allow students who can’t bend to do some gardening.

Paula Tracey, of Castleton, said she cried when she saw what had happened.

The 21-year-old, who is one of the students at the ILS course, said: “We all worked so hard on this project, we started the garden from scratch, digging the grass down.

“We even came to work on it on our days off. I was so upset and angry when I saw it.”

The students fundraised £3,000 towards the garden. They were planning to grow sensory plants such as lavender in the garden.

Jason Morgan, of Newport, is another ILS student who worked hard on the garden, which includes musical instruments.

“I don’t mind giving my time again but it is devastating,” the 26-year-old said.

“The project was everything for me, it felt like home.”

His brother Josh, 21, who is also a student on the course, said he loved the garden.

“It gave me lots of confidence because I learned new skills,” he said.

Lecturer and support worker Sarah-Louise Davies said the garden was inclusive and provided a “nice” space for the students.

“The garden meant something to them,” she said. “We will now have to get quotes and see how much it costs to fix it.”

A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said they received a call at 12.30am on May 25 regarding a fire within the Cross Keys campus grounds.

She said: “CCTV inquiries are ongoing to allow further investigation of this incident.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting log 2 25/5/17.