A Christmas tree cut down by vandals just hours after its festive lights were turned on has now been put back up after villagers banded together in a show of festive spirit.
The tree was chopped down last week in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, prompting the Peterlee neighbourhood police team to launch an appeal.
Two men were subsequently arrested on Friday.
Dylan McNamara, 26, has been charged with criminal damage but pleaded not guilty to the offence.
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He is due to stand trial at Newton Aycliffe magistrates' court next year.
A second man, aged 23, was released but remains under investigation while further enquiries continue.
The tree had been lit up last Wednesday evening as part of a Christmas ceremony, and is believed to have been felled between 10pm and 11pm that same night.
On top of lifting the festive spirit of the community, the tree served as a memorial to those who lost their lives in both World Wars.
The village’s tree was cut down deliberately
| ARTHUR CRAWFORD/SUPPLIEDFollowing the vandalism, local residents worked together to restore it over the subsequent days.
They bolted the spruce back into position, covered its trunk with turf, and reinstated the Christmas lights.
The temporary repair is hoped to ensure the tree "lasts for the festive period".
Residents have also launched a fundraising campaign for a 12-foot replacement tree, which has already generated £2,680.
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The tree is also used as a memorial for soldiers lost in World War I and World War II | ARTHUR CRAWFORD/SUPPLIEDA tree surgeon who examined the damage confirmed a chainsaw had been used to fell it.
The tree had been blessed by the Rev Shaun Conlon, the local Church of England minister, during the lights switch-on ceremony on Wednesday evening.
Steve Maitland, who chairs the Shotton Colliery residents' association, spoke about his reaction to the incident.
"I was absolutely devastated when the tree was chopped down," he said.
"It meant so much to so many people. But I do feel a little bit better now with the crowdfunding, and how people have reacted in the village."
Mr Maitland explained ornamental grass had been used to disguise the damage to the trunk.
"We have some ornamental grass, which we've wrapped around the trunk, and it looks like it hasn't been touched," he said.
The tree belongs to Durham County Council.
A spokesman from St Saviour's, the Anglican church in the village, confirmed the findings of the tree surgeon's examination.
"A tree surgeon has looked at the damage and said it's been done with a chainsaw," the spokesman said.
Mr McNamara, of Bruce Glazier Terrace, has denied criminal damage to property valued under £5,000.
The charge states he destroyed a Christmas tree of unknown value belonging to the council without lawful excuse.
Pc David Allan of Durham Constabulary issued a strong condemnation of the incident.
"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," he said.
"We are treating this incident extremely seriously, and we will deal with anyone responsible as robustly as the law allows," Pc Allan added.
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