A Christmas tree that has stood in a village for more than a decade has been cut down just hours after its lights were switched on.

The tree in Shotton Colliery, Co Durham, was chopped down between 10pm and 11pm on Wednesday, causing “huge upset”, according to Durham Police.

The force, which believes it was felled deliberately, is appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Pc David Allan, from Peterlee Neighbourhood Police Team, 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

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