A Christmas tree that has brought festive cheer to a village for more than a decade has been cut down just hours after its lights were switched on.
The tree in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, was chopped down between 10pm and 11pm on Wednesday, causing «huge upset», according to Durham Police.
The force believes it was felled deliberately and have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
Police Constable David Allan said: «This was a disgusting act of mindless vandalism which has caused huge upset throughout the village at a time when our community should be coming together.
«We are treating this incident extremely seriously, and we will deal with anyone responsible as robustly as the law allows.
«This behaviour has no place in our community. Someone knows something – please help us find who is responsible.»
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He urged anyone with information, including CCTV or doorbell footage, to contact the police force.