Two men have been arrested after a beloved village Christmas tree was cut down just hours after its lights were switched on.

The tree had stood in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, for more than a decade.

It had grown from a sapling into a large tree - so large that the village was planning to replace the lights.

But it was felled sometime on Wednesday night , causing "huge upset", according to Durham Police.

St Saviour's, a local church, posted images of lights on the tree being turned on.

A message on their Facebook account said: "May the people who caused this be caught and punished by the authorities."

Image: The tree had been growing in the village for more than a decade. Pic: Durham Police/PA

In an update on Friday afternoon, the local Peterlee policing team said two men

See Full Page