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The cable thieves who tried to steal Christmas

Rob Luckins A concrete pathway lined with trees and hedges either side, which are lit up in multicoloured fairy lights in blues, greens, purples and pinks as part of the show. There are people seen in teh distance walking down the path taking in the show lights.Rob Luckins
The light show attracted an estimated 72,000 visitors in 2024

A Christmas lights show is due to go ahead despite the theft of £80,000 worth of copper cabling.

Months of planning had gone into the Light Up Sir Harold Hillier Gardens At Christmas event in Romsey, organisers said.

But just as their team was gearing up for the show's launch, they discovered the "devastating" theft.

Staff at the attraction, who have also been battling the impact of Storm Bert, found thousands of pounds worth of cabling had been taken at the weekend.

Libby Battaglia, who runs Light Up Trails, said the gardens were closed on Saturday and Sunday because of the storm.

She said: "On Sunday morning, we noticed some of the lights had gone out, which we were shocked about, but we didn't think anything of it, we just thought 'we're going to have so much to do'."

On Monday, she said they got extra staff in to help clear up after the storm and realised they did not have access to the internet.

Elliott Franks People gather around one of the light displays, their backs are to the camera and one person is holding up their phone to take a picture. The display features light up stars and a 'Merry' sign, with the hedging underneath lit up in orange.Elliott Franks
Light Up Trails set up the event, which runs for a month during the Christmas period

Ms Battaglia continued: "We walk over to the generator to see if it's on and we realise there's no cables attached to it.

"We decide to follow the route of whether the cables were going and realise that they're missing, so it's obviously a theft."

The Light Up Trails team sourced replacements and had technicians working through the night to get everything up and running.

Ms Battaglia said they believed an on-site golf buggy was used to drive between installations and gather the cables.

She added: “Bizarrely, a quantity of sweets and fizzy drinks was also stolen – perhaps they worked up a thirst?"

Libby Battaglia stands outside the garden centre, in the background are lit up Christmas trees and trees decorated with fairy lights - they are all slightly out of focus. Libby stands looking slightly off camera as she gives an interview. She has mid-length blonde hair in a side parting and wears a maroon chunky knit turtleneck jumper with a black puffed duvet coat over the top.
Libby Battaglia said they had worked through the night to ensure the show goes ahead

Tracy Randall, from Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, said the theft was "devastating".

She added: "Light Up Trails spend so much time and effort doing all this and the garden is a registered charity, this is devastating for us."

Crews are now working around the clock to ensure the show opens to the public.

Tracy Randall looks slightly off camera as she gives her interview. She has blonde hair, which is tied back in a bun and a side fringe framing her face. She has a pair of thick framed tortoiseshell glasses on her head and wears a navy blue fleece with the Hillier's Garden logo on it. Behind her are fairy light sculptures of reindeer, which are slightly out of focus.
Tracy Randall said staff were devastated by the theft, but the show carrying on was a way of showing resilience

Last year an estimated 72,000 people attended during the month the trail was open and organisers are expecting a similar number this year.

Ms Randall added: "This is a beautiful show and it's going to be incredible and it's about saying, we're resilient and that's not going to stop us."

A spokesperson for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said the force was investigating the break in and organisers of the light show have increased security measures.

The show is expected to launch at 16:30 GMT and will run until 1 January.

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