A Christmas tree that had stood in a village for more than a decade has been chopped down hours after having its lights switched on.

The tree, in Shotton Colliery in County Durham, was felled between 10pm and 11pm on Wednesday. It is believed to have been cut down deliberately. Police are appealing for witnesses.

Steve Maitland, the chair of the Shotton Residents Association, said the tree had been put up as a monument to soldiers who died in the first world war.

“These people who did this – I don’t think they understand the history and the feeling of these things,” he told the BBC.

He described the incident as an act of “mindless vandalism”.

“The Christmas trees lights were turned on at about 5pm and 80 to 100 people turned up to watch. Hours later, this has happened,” he said. “Whoever has done it feels they can get away with it, but hopefully they will be caught.”

Maitland also said villagers had begun making a sleeve for the tree’s base so that it could be put up for the moment “just to tide us over for Christmas” and that the residents were going to “push on and try and get it sorted”.

St Saviour’s, a parish church in the village, posted on Facebook : “After all the people who gave their time and effort to raise funds to get a tree for the village. This morning a tree surgeon has looked at the damage and said it’s been done with a chainsaw. May the people who caused this be caught and punished by the authorities.”

PC David Allan, from the Peterlee neighbourhood police team, said: “This was a disgusting act of mindless vandalism, which has caused huge upset throughout the village at a time when our community should be coming together.

“We are treating this incident extremely seriously and we will deal with anyone responsible as robustly as the law allows. This behaviour has no place in our community. Someone knows something – please help us find who is responsible.”

Anyone with any information, should contact Durham constabulary.