Members of a pentecostal church in Norwich have been left “absolutely devastated” after thieves stole £500 worth of Christmas decorations.
Two large nutcrackers have been confiscated from Alive Church on Nelson Street, which organises an annual festive toy appeal for low-income families.
Last month, two men driving an Audi A3 were caught on CCTV using bolt cutters to remove the chains holding the decorations down.
According to the Norwich Evening News, the nutcrackers were part of a larger display paid for by members of the parish.
The nutcrackers would have greeted children as they entered Father Christmas’s Grotto as part of the Alive Christmas Experience event this month.
Pastor Jo Thorne said: “We’re gutted, absolutely devastated. It’s an assault on the magic of Christmas. We’re a small community church, we can’t afford to replace them.
Alive Church has been left ‘absolutely devastated’
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GOOGLE/GETTY“The display took our volunteers two weeks to build… They were bought to be a display piece we would use year-on-year.”
One volunteer who paid for the two statues added: “I am saddened by the sheer disregard for decency that these men have shown.
“I wanted to be a small part of adding to the Christmas light they bring to the community.”
It comes after a lifesize nutcracker was stolen by an e-bike rider in Edinburgh that same month, leaving a local business owner nearly £1,000 out of pocket.
A spokesman for Norfolk Constabulary told GB News: “Police were called to reports that two men had stolen two nutcrackers valued at £350 each from a display at the Alive Church in Nelson Street, Norwich. The theft took place between 7.55pm and 7.59pm on Sunday 23 November. Two men used bolt cutters to remove chains securing the nutcrackers. Enquiries are ongoing.”