Vandals have ruined Christmas for residents in Derby after ripping festive lights from a beloved tree and dumping them in a brook.
Tory councillor Jerry Pearce says the holiday season has effectively been “cancelled” at Chaddesden Park following the senseless destruction.
The lights adorned a 30ft Californian Redwood tree that had become a focal point for the local community.
“Christmas has been cancelled on Chad Park unfortunately,” Mr Pearce said, expressing his devastation at the mindless act.
The decorations were discovered strewn across a bench near Chaddesden Brook, with some retrieved from the water itself by concerned locals.
A constituent alerted Mr Pearce on Wednesday morning about the sorry state of affairs.
The damage goes beyond just missing lights as the main cable connecting the circuit has been snapped clean off, leaving dangerous exposed copper wiring.
Earlier this month, around 400 people gathered in the park to watch the tree being illuminated
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Chaddesden East Conservative Team
Derby City Council has advised the remaining lights must stay switched off entirely due to safety concerns.
Getting the display back up is not feasible, as the tree requires specialist equipment, including a cherry picker, to reach its impressive height.
The festive display was the result of a genuine community effort, with councillors and community champions all pitching in together.
Earlier this month, around 400 people gathered in the park to watch the tree being illuminated, singing carols and celebrating the occasion.
The decorations were retrieved from the water by concerned locals
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Chaddesden East Conservative Team
“The number of comments we have from people saying they loved it was just brilliant,” Mr Pearce recalled.
The councillor admitted he “felt like crying” when he learned of the destruction.
“It’s just one of those things we do for the good of people and it’s come back to bite us,” he added.
Derbyshire Police are now investigating the incident as criminal damage, with officers carrying out enquiries into what happened.
The vandalism took place between 4pm on Tuesday, December 9 and 10.15am on December 10.
Another tree was also damaged during the spree, and a bench was daubed with graffiti.
Ndukwe Onuoha, Derby City Council’s cabinet member for streetpride, parks and leisure, described the authority as “disappointed and saddened” by what occurred.
“This mindless vandalism is a disheartening attack on the community and undermines the hard work of everyone involved,” he said.
Anyone with information should contact Derbyshire Constabulary quoting incident number 25*722691.