A suspected raid which saw thousands of vegetables stolen from a garden plot may have been down to visitors thinking they could help themselves.

Gardening staff were shocked when they discovered that their winter harvest, including carrots, leeks, turnips, and onions, had disappeared.

It is thought that almost half a tonne of vegetables were taken over the weekend.

Staff believe the raid at Glasgow's Pollok Park must have been premeditated due to the huge number of crops that were stolen.

But a member of the public told the Evening Times they were visiting Pollok House on Sunday for Doors Open Day when they saw "between 15 and 20 people" in the plot.

He said he also saw people walking around the site with vegetables, "including some with shopping bags full of them".

A sign next to a basket of vegetables on Doors Open day apparently invited visitors to help themselves to a small amount of surplus vegetables on offer. But there was no mention about the veg which was still in the ground.

Glasgow City Council has insisted the incident is still being treated as vandalism, but acknowledged it may have "appeared people could simply help themselves".

A spokeswoman said: "Garden staff had put the sign out as they regularly do. We had given vegetables to Pollok House and the vegetables in the basket would otherwise have perished if we didn't offer them out in the basket.

"The sign has been in place for a few weeks with no issues.

"Perhaps with it being Doors Open Day at Pollok House and [there was] our sign to take vegetables from the basket, it appeared people could simply help themselves to what was in the ground, which has resulted in considerable damage that in no uncertain terms results in vandalism that staff have had to deal with."

A police spokeswoman confirmed officers had received a report of the incident and were still investigating.

She said: "We have received a report of a vandalism of the vegetable plot at Pollok House.

"We were told around 9.15am on Monday morning, and inquiries are ongoing into the incident."