Christmas trees in two Co Tyrone towns have been the target of vandalism in recent days, with the local council appealing for community spirit during the festive period.
The council-installed decorations in Castlederg and Erganagh in the north west of the county have been the subject of the vandalism, with trees damaged and lights being pulled off, with incidents of vandalism also occurring in Derry.
The Christmas tree and artwork by local schoolchildren were damaged in Castlederg, while a gingerbread man in the Co Tyrone town was also pushed over.
In a statement, Derry City and Strabane District Council appealed to those responsible for the vandalism incidents to have respect for the community.
"In recent days a number of incidents have occurred including significant damage to the trees in Erganagh and Castlederg where lights were torn down and the hoarding was pulled off the tree and a flower bed was vandalised," a council spokesperson said.
Head of Environment at the council, Conor Canning, appealed to those responsible to consider the impact of their actions.
"Despite numerous appeals, our Electrical and Maintenance teams are unfortunately still dealing with vandalism to the Christmas decorations across the City and District on a daily basis," he said.
"As well as the obvious dangers, this is costly and time consuming for our teams and represents criminal damage.
"The decorations are there for everyone in the community to enjoy so we would appreciate if people respect them and report any incidents of vandalism you experience to the PSNI," he added.
