Councillors have sent out a warning to vandals who could have ruined a Moray town’s festive plans.
The Keith community is planning a spectacular display this Christmas, and has invested more than £15,000 into the project – which would involve lighting up the entire length of the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road through the town.
The seasonal fittings are stored in a former council building at the top of Mid Street.
But last week, vandals broke into the old toilet block, and while they only made off with a box of items worth around £50, local councillor Stewart Cree blasted the behaviour and said it could easily have cost the town Christmas.
He said last night: “I was very disappointed because of the amount of effort people are doing in groups like the Keith Christmas Lights Committee.
“Fortunately, the £15,000 worth of lights are safe because we are making a big drive to make Keith nice.
“We want to light up Reidhaven Square and finish lighting the A96, and that will be some achievement. We will light every lamp post throughout the town.
“A lot of effort goes into this, and it is terrible for those involved to have to worry so much.
“It was an alarm and a scare, but we have increased security with additional locks.
“This kind of wanton behaviour will not be stood for.”
Recently, vandals have also trashed hanging baskets and floral display tubs in the centre of the town, causing £400 worth of damage.
Keith councillor Gary Coull added: “It is really disappointing to see there is a small number of vandals in the town involved in mindless behaviour.
“The work that is put into projects in Keith such as the Christmas lights and the flower beds is all done by volunteers and involves a lot of effort.
“A lot of folk think the lights are just thrown up at Christmas time and that’s it, but there is a huge amount of technical work which goes on throughout the year.
“We have CCTV in Keith and hopefully we can follow things up through the police the community warden and stamp this out.”
Police are investigating the incident, and are urging anyone with information to come forward.