The annual Christmas lights display in Brynmawr was almost cancelled this year, after thieves broke in to the storage container where the decorations were kept.
The festive display hosted by Brynmawr Town Partnership has been put on by volunteers in the town for the past 20 years, with the ceremonial switching on of the lights becoming a treasured event for locals.
In the past, guest stars such as Welsh rugby legend Dan Lydiate, and Coronation Street actress Samia Ghadie have all switched on the lights in front of hundreds of people from across the borough.
Though the plans for this years display on November 28 almost suffered a set back when the storage unit containing the decorations was broken in to.
Councillor Wayne Hodgins of Brynmawr feared the worst when he arrived at the storage container on Sunday, as the group began preparations for the turning on of the lights.
He said: "We went to the storage unit on Sunday to begin the set up of the lights, but immediately we knew something wasn't right. The locks were missing and when we looked inside everything was thrown everywhere.
"We're going to go back up this week to go through it and check nothing else has been stolen, though at the moment it looks as though we've lost around £200 worth of lights.
"While it's upsetting to see people trying to take things like this from the community, we know it could have been a lot worse. Thankfully the lights that were taken can be replaced and we'll carry on."
The incident marks the second year in a row where decorations have been stolen from the group, after a decorative Santa was taken last year amid the Christmas celebrations.
It follows a trend of thieving and vandalism, that seems to have become a growing problem across the borough of Blaenau Gwent in 2019.
Despite the near miss, Cllr Hodgins and other members of the group assured people in the town that the lights will be put up as normal this year, with plans to avoid further incidents in the future being put in place.
He said: "We've reported the issue to the police, and we will definitely look to relocate the place where the decorations are kept from now on. Whoever decided to mess with the decorations needs to realise they belong to the people of the community, so ultimately they are the ones who will suffer.
"The lights will go up as normal this year and that's 100 percent certain. It is very important as everyone in Brynmawr likes to celebrate it at Christmas time.
"Its a family event and one that we always really enjoy, and it's a great occasion for the children of the area as well, so we won't let these kind of people ruin it for us."
Gwent Police confirmed it was aware of the incident and is appealing for any information.
A force spokesman said: "We received a report from Brynmawr Town Partnership Community Group that a container on Pond Road in Brynmawr had been broken into.
"Officers are investigating, and if anyone has information that could help our enquiries, please call 101 quoting Log 185 22/10/19 or alternatively, you can send a direct message with information to our Gwent Police Facebook or Twitter social media pages."
