A Christmas Scrooge severed the festive lights display outside the homes of two Southend families.

Last night, vandals cut through all the cables on Angela Caten's extravagant fairy light arrangement which she had put up round her house in Norwich Avenue.

They also cut down all the miniature Santas and reindeers which surrounded her windows. One of her neighbours, Kim Christie, was also targeted by the vandals. She had the Christmas lights round her windows sliced.

Mrs Caten discovered the wreckage at 7.30am today (Thursday) when she saw her husband Geoffery, 46, off to work. Fortunately part of her exhibition, which includes a reindeer on her roof, a 5ft Santa in her front window and another on her outside wall, escaped the attack.

Mrs Caten, 40, said: "The first thing I noticed this morning was that one of the rope lights was on the drive. I went to look at all the other chains of lights and found they had been cut."

The Catens have put up their display each Christmas for the past six years without a hitch, and added to it each year.

Angela, a childminder, said the youngsters she looks after and those from around the area get great pleasure from her display. She said: "The children always ask me when I will be switching on my lights and they always get very excited.

"Where is their Christmas spirit? I have done this display for the kids so why try and ruin it."

Cut off - Mrs Caten shows the severed cables on her Christmas lights

Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL

By Kelly Clark

Reporter's e-mail: kellyc@notes.newsquest.co.uk

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