A lawn-obsessed homeowner has been left shattered after waking to a bizarre sight outside his home – half of his pristine front lawn appeared to have vanished without a trace.

But as outrage spread online, a brutal detail emerged: the “stolen” turf may never have been his in the first place.

MORE NEWS

‘Holy cow’: Couple ditches home for $66-a-day life at sea

‘Stone Age’: Bosses rage as worker wins WFH ruling

‘Pigs’: Landlord reveals shock rental damage

A New South Wales homeowner was shocked to find part of his front lawn had vanished. Source: Facebook

The New South Wales man took to a local lawn care page on Thursday, posting a series of photos showing a huge strip of grass missing from the front of his property.

Convinced someone had pinched his prized lawn, he urged locals to help track down the two men pictured in the images, saying he believed they had taken the turf sometime between 8am and 10am.

“If anybody knows who these 2 blokes are in this picture, I believe they have taken half my front lawn this morning,” he said. “Time stamps show 2 hours between 8am – 10am.”

“For anyone who knows my fanatic history, I am an active proud member and just want my lush buff back.”

An image of the nature strip before it was removed. Source: Facebook

The post quickly took off, with many initially stunned that someone would go to the trouble of ripping up and carting off a manicured lawn.

But commenters soon delivered an awkward reality check.

Rather than a brazen turf theft, many believed the missing grass had been removed by workers carrying out construction next to the home, with the stripped patch appearing to sit on the council-owned nature strip rather than the man’s actual property.

“You mean they took the council strip… you maintain it, but it’s not yours,” one person wrote.

“Mate they didn’t steal it,” another said.

“It’s a construction area. They are working there. Ur grass is now at the tip,” a third commented.

Online users were quick to point out that the lawn was likely removed as part of ongoing construction work next door. Source: Facebook

A fourth added: “Mate. They only took the curb side grass, the area being owned by the council. It’ll be fixed once new curbing is installed and building works completed.”

Even so, plenty of people could understand the frustration of seeing a carefully maintained stretch of greenery suddenly torn up.

“I know it’s the nature stripe and you don’t technically own it but I would be absolutely fuming if I came home to this,” one person wrote.

“Yours is still there. Get your disappointment though,” another said.

While this case may not stack up as an actual theft, turf really has been targeted before.

In 2022, a South Australian man was arrested after allegedly stealing turf from a local sports oval over two nights to lay at his own home.

Investigators identified the suspect after reviewing CCTV footage.

When police went to the property, they allegedly found a large area of freshly laid turf, which was later removed and returned to its rightful owner.

A Queensland homeowner in Warwick has also reported missing turf this year. Source: Facebook

That same year, thieves also ripped up and stole newly laid grass from Robina Soccer Club on the Gold Coast, damaging part of a $130,000 field renovation.

In Queensland, another homeowner also reportedly discovered turf missing from her Warwick home in August, in an incident shared by a local lawn care business.