Lights worth £80k stolen from Harold Hillier Gardens during Storm Bert

Last weekend, the team at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens were forced to halt preparations ahead of their Light Up At Christmas event due to safety concerns surrounding Storm Bert.

Staff were not on site as 50 mile per hour winds battered the south coast, but when they returned to Jermyns Lane on Monday, they were shocked to see thousands of copper cables missing.

Police confirmed to the Echo that there was a break-in between 6pm on November 24 and 6am on November 25.

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Co-directors Libby Battaglia and Lucinda Croft said: "The site had been stripped, there wasn’t a cable to be seen; in that first moment it was absolutely heart-breaking.

“They had taken every cable, thousands of them, worth at least £80,000.

"We had to move very quickly to source replacements, which we did, then we had teams of technicians working through the night to get everything up and running in time for opening night.”

Organisers believe that a golf buggy left on site was used to drive between installations and gather up all of the cables.

Fizzy drinks and sweets were also stolen, with the co-directors joking that the thieves may have "worked up a thirst."

READ MORE: Hillier Gardens Light Up Christmas show is set to return

The Light Up Sir Harold Hillier Gardens at Christmas annual event will still open as planned on November 28, after a team of engineers and technicians worked through the night to get the grounds illuminated again.

More than 72,000 people attended the light show last year and 2024's trail is brand new with a different route and installations.

A preview event on November 27 had already been cancelled due to delays caused by Storm Bert.

Ticket prices have been frozen and remain the same as last year - £12.50 for a child and £20 for an adult.

Police are still investigating the break-in and urge anyone with any information to call 101 quoting reference 44240512633.