ORGANISERS of Felixstowe's Christmas lights are faced with finding an extra £1,000 to ensure the resort does not lose the display – after an attack by vandals.

By Richard Cornwell

ORGANISERS of Felixstowe's Christmas lights are faced with finding an extra £1,000 to ensure the resort does not lose the display – after an attack by vandals.

Hooligans cut the power line leading to the centrepisece tree, which was sponsored by The Evening Star, and now work will have to be done to prevent a similar incident happening this year.

It will mean the Lions Club of Felixstowe, which has organised the tree and the town centre lighting display for the past 24 years, having to find around £1,000 extra before they even start putting up the strings and garlands.

Lions' public relations officer, Maurice Dixon, said: "The vandals came along and cut the power line which goes from the electricity box to the tree.

"The lights were not on at the time, which was very lucky, someone could have been badly injured.

"It was fortunate that the incident did not happen until a few days after Christmas so at least it did not spoil everyone's enjoyment of the tree when people were in the town and shopping.

"But it is still such a terrible shame that people do things like this, and now we will have to raise extra money in order to keep the vandals at bay."

Mr Dixon said work would have to be done during the year to put an underground cable from the electricity box to the site of the tree, with a socket in the ground at the base of where the pine will stand.

One of the Evening Star signs at the base of the tree on the Triangle in Hamilton Road was also stolen by the thugs.

The lights are one of the best displays in the region and attract many people to Felixstowe to shop during the festive season.

Local traders contribute to the cost of putting up the 2,400-plus bulbs, strings and garlands which stretch from the top of Hamilton Road to Bent Hill and into Orwell Road, while the town council foots the electricity bill.