Christmas tree chopped down and stolen from woman’s back garden | UK News

A woman will now have to wait 10 years to see her Christmas tree over the festive season – while she waits for it to grow back.

Sarah Yardley, 40, could not believe it when she was informed an intruder was breaking into her back garden to chop down and steal her Christmas tree.

She hosted a Christmas party at her home in Wadebridge, Cornwall, on Friday night and said she received a ‘strange’ text from friends who were leaving the bash at around 10pm.

‘What a funny set of experiences,’ said Sarah, who works for music festival Creation Fest.

‘My friends were leaving the party, and saw someone jumping over the back stone wall of my garden – hailing away one of my Christmas looking trees.

‘Someone sawed down the top half of one of the fir trees.

‘They texted me but I didn’t see the message for over an hour afterwards.’

She said her friends didn’t chase after the intruder as it was dark and they had two small children with them.

Sarah didn’t see the message until an hour later and she was ‘confused’ at what had happened.

She added: ‘I investigated the next morning and was like, “Ohh they came into my garden, chopped down one of my trees and hailed it away!”

‘What an endeavour.’

The fir tree was in her back garden next to her house, which is enclosed by a five-foot stone wall with a gate in the centre.

Sarah said she hasn’t reported the incident to the police, as she had no camera evidence of the theft.

‘The only motive that I could think of is someone couldn’t afford a Christmas tree – that must be the reason?’ she asked.

‘If they had only asked, I would have been glad to share.’

A neighbour has since given Sarah a brand new Christmas tree so she can regrow it – but she will have to wait around 10 years for it to reach the same height.

Sarah, who was born in Orange County, California, explained: ‘I try and look out for the best and not think the worst.

‘Whilst the taking of the Christmas tree was not the best, the way people have responded has been unbelievably kind.

‘As unsettling as it is, it is lovely to feel such community support around this – people are more outraged than I am!

‘I am feeling very happy and genuinely feeling surrounded by so much love and care.

‘It has brought out love and kindness and the best in some people.’

Meanwhile, police officers in Bristol are playing Santa to try and find the owners of a stolen car full of Christmas presents.

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