A VILLAGE Christmas tree has been vandalised, and will not be fixed in time for the big day.

The tree at The Cross in Melbourn had its lights ripped off on Wednesday (15) evening – just a week after it had been put up by Parish councillors.

Colin Charter, a former councillor who helped organise the erecting of the tree, said: “It looks like someone has yanked the lights out of their sockets. They are completely unusable now, and there is no chance they will be fixed before Christmas as the tree is covered in snow.

“Some of the lights are still on the tree, but they are not working. We have no idea who could have done it, or who would want to do it, so if anyone can help then they should contact us immediately.”

The tree itself cost around �150, with the lights, which came separately, costing more.

Parish councillor Val Barrett said: “It’s very sad that we will not have any lights in the village this year. We will have to go into our budget to buy new ones now.

“It’s unbelievable really, and I don’t know what would possess anyone to do it.”