Half-lit Christmas tree was vandalised - council

A council has admitted that its Christmas tree has been vandalised after people criticised its "half-lit" appearance.

Residents of Morley, near Leeds, questioned whether contractors had only installed lights on one side of the tree as part of cost-saving measures.

The decorative efforts were slammed as "ridiculous" when images of the tree were shared on social media.

However, after investigating, a spokesperson for Morley Town Council said: "Sadly, the wonderful Christmas tree, located in the town centre off Queen Street, seems to have been the target of some unseasonal vandalism."

They added: "The tree was fully illuminated after installation and normally it would have remained in this seasonal and welcoming state."

It was discovered that a wire or circuit had been broken, leading to half of the lights failing.

The spokesperson added: "Our contractor has scheduled a service call to try and mend the circuits, but in the interim and in the interest of public safety, we have had to disconnect the power to the tree.

"I would hope any reasonable resident would condemn the actions leading to this and understand that the council has acted in the best interests of public safety."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.