THIEVES took advantage of the blustery conditions during Storm Bert to steal electrical cables worth £80,000 from a Romsey arboretum – with the help of a golf buggy.

After being forced to halt preparations on safety grounds over the weekend in the face of Storm Bert, organisers of the Light Up Sir Harold Hillier Gardens At Christmas trail were horrified to return to the site on Monday to discover thousands of electrical cables had been stolen.

Teams of designers and technicians worked through the night to make sure the show goes ahead after the heist from Sir Harold Hillier Gardens on Jermyns Lane, Ampfield.

Despite the setback, the popular visitor experience will open as planned on Thursday, November 28, after dark.

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The Light Up trail at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Romsey “The site had been stripped, there wasn’t a cable to be seen; in that first moment it was absolutely heart-breaking,” said co-directors Libby Battaglia and Lucinda Croft.

“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 the on-site golf buggy was used to drive between installations and gather the cables.

“Bizarrely, a quantity of sweets and fizzy drinks was also stolen – perhaps they worked up a thirst?!”

A sparkling family celebration of Christmas and colour, the annual light trail at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey is designed and promoted by Light Up Trails, the award-winning, Hampshire-based company that specialises in creating light art trails in enchanting locations.

Last year, more than 72,000 people visited Light Up Sir Harold Hillier Gardens At Christmas and this year’s all-new trail is on course to be just as popular, if not even more so, with live entertainment on certain nights augmenting the light art installations.

SEE ALSO: Sir Harold Hillier Gardens festive light trail is back

A preview event on Wednesday, November 27, had already been cancelled due to delays caused by the closure of the site over the weekend due to Storm Bert.

As a finalist in two categories – Tourism Event/Festival of the Year and Unsung Hero, for the unflappable Head of Technical Production Zane Meaby – Light Up Sir Harold Hillier Gardens At Christmas is guaranteed to win gold, silver or bronze in each at the Tourism South East Beautiful South Tourism Awards ceremony hosted by Heart radio’s Toby Anstis at the Grand Brighton on Tuesday 10 December.

For more about Light Up Sir Harold Hillier Gardens At Christmas and to book tickets, visit lightuptrails.com.