THOUGHTLESS Grinches attempted to ruin Wokingham’s Christmas by vandalising the town’s Christmas tree – and the damage is so severe that the festive lights may not be repairable this side of the Twelfth Night.
Overnight on Christmas Day, the “disgusting” vandals broke down the protective fencing around the tree on the corner of Market Place, cut through lighting and damaged decorations that had been created by primary school children from across the borough.
It is thought that around £3,000 worth of damage has been caused by the vandals who attempted to steal the town’s Christmas.
Cllr Imogen Shepherd-Dubey was one of four town councillors who arrived at the scene in a bid to fix the damage.
She said: “Fences were broken, Christmas decoration have been ruined, every single chain of lights have been cut and the transformer was pulled out.
“My thanks go to those who came out today to make the tree safe and tidy it up: Cllrs Colin George (who is an electrician), Tony Lack, Lynn Forbes, Dave Davies. I also came out.”
She added: “The bill for this act of vandalism is expected to cost residents of the town thousands as we need to buy new lights and get some temporary ones put up.”
In a post on social media, Cllr David Davies, the leader of Wokingham Town Council, appealed for anyone who witnessed the thoughtless vandalism to contact the police.
“Vandals damaged the tree and decorations causing severe damage to the fences and cutting all of the lights such that they are unlikely to be repairable,” he wrote.
“We have done all we can to make temporary repairs however the lights may not be able to be lit again this season.
“This is a truly disgusting act of mindless vandalism trying to strike at the festive heart of the the town.
“Given when this happened the town is likely to have been quiet, but the sheer the amount of damage suggests this took some time.
“If anyone saw anything, please let myself or the Town Council know directly. If you wish to do so anonymously contact 101 quoting crime reference number 43180392496.
“With your help we can catch, and stop, the people responsible for this.”
