A gardener believes anti-Semitic vandals defaced a flowerbed depicting the Israeli flag with a dead bird.

David Steene, of Blattner Close, Elstree, created three flowerbeds showing the the Union Jack, the Stars and Stripes and Israel’s flag to celebrate his son’s engagement to an American woman.

But when he woke up this morning, Mr Steene found the flowerbed trampled and a dead parakeet beneath the flag.

Police suggested the bird, a ring-necked parakeet, may have been left there by a cat but Mr Steene believes there was a sinister intention.

Mr Steene said: “This was the first time something like this has happened. Being a victim of hate crime in Elstree it is quite worrying.

“It is very upsetting someone would do something like this. The police are just looking into it now.

“We live in a private road and there are only a dozen houses in the road. It is not like anyone was passing by.”

Victoria West, of Hertfordshire Constabulary, confirmed the flowers were damaged by an offender but the case has not been crimed as a hate crime at this stage.

Officers are due to meet with Mr Steene.