Thieves disrupt Brynmawr's Christmas lights plans for a second successive year

Brynmawr Town Partnership has been putting on a festive display in the town for the past 20 years.

But over the weekend thieves broke into a storage container where decorations were being kept.

(The splendour of Brynmawr's Christmas lights. Picture: Brynmawr Town Partnership)

The group’s chairman Wayne Hodgins said this is the second time in as many years decorations have been stolen. Last year a decorative Santa was taken.

He said: “We have a 40ft storage container on a council industrial estate, and when we went yesterday, we saw the lock was off the door.”

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Among items taken was a new and unused box of lights volunteers had bought last year.

“We are still attempting to go through and tidy everything up and see what was taken,” said Cllr Hodgins.

He added he hoped the switch-on - due to be held on Friday, November 29 - would still go ahead.

The state the storage container was left in

“Whoever did this, could have seriously affected the whole town,” he said. “We are a voluntary organisation and run on behalf of the town.

“It is the town that puts money into the lights and therefore the town’s money has been taken.

“It could have been a lot worse and we won’t let it affect the preparations.

“We’re going to replace what has been taken and carry on.”

There has been a GoFundMe page set up to replace the stolen lights.