Small pine trees planted by school children in an effort to boost the environment were stolen on Christmas night.

Students of St Thomas More College Girls Secondary School, in Santa Lucia, planted 13 pine trees on the main road in front of their school on December 5 as a buffer against vehicle exhaust fumes.

“This morning, seven of them were missing,” said a dejected Brian Chircop, head of the school’s social studies’ department.

“It was part of a project called ‘Growing roots’; instead the trees ran away,” he quipped.

The baby Christmas trees were planted by the students in a ceremony that was also attended by Education Minister Evarist Bartolo. It was part of an EkoSkola and Living Diversity ongoing project aimed at nurturing environment awareness among secondary school children.

The spot was chosen because the road in front of the school is a main artery and is exposed to a lot of traffic pollution.

The school forked out the money for the trees and the Santa Lucia local council helped in obtaining the necessary permits.

“The trees belong to us all,” Mr Chircop said. “They were our contribution to the community.”

The school has filed a police report.

Santa Lucija local council condemned the theft and said that its contractor, ELC, had offered to replace the stolen trees.